The Joker's Shadow
by TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne
Summary: Robin receives a message from Alfred and has to return to Gotham. RobXStar, BBxRae. COMPLETE. Moving to M section.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

The sliding door swished open, gliding silently on its well lubricated track. Cyborg had always been meticulous, correction, fastidious when it came to the Tower's maintenance. The room the door led into was a dark, untidy room. The desk was covered in papers and disassembled gadgets. There was a half eaten hamburger sitting on it, clearly forgotten as it was now getting moldy. The young man who had just entered saw it and picked it up. After examining it he made a gesture of disgust and tossed it down the incinerator chute. He then returned to the desk and after sitting down on his aero chair he reached for the small banker's lamp on his desk, a gift he received from his girlfriend last year on his birthday. He switched it on and it lit up the room with its faint glow. The walls were now visible and they were covered with newspaper clippings, about half of which were dedicated to Slade Wilson.

Robin sighed and dropped the hard copy of the email that he had just received on his desk. An email that was going to change life as they knew it in Titan's tower.

Change. It was said that the only thing in life that could be relied on and expected was change. Robin had always known this truth, but he didn't care for it. It had been two years since they returned from Tokyo, two relatively blissful and carefree years to be precise. Slade had moved his base of operations down south to Los Angeles where he was now butting heads with Tony Stark and his alter ego Iron Man. This of course meant that life had become a lot more predictable for the Titans and a lot easier. With Slade away and Brother Blood clearly AWOL after all these years all they had to contend with were lightweights like Control Freak, Dr. Light and Mumbo. Things had gotten so slow that they were routinely involved in dealing with more ordinary crimes: shoplifting, muggings, stolen cars, etc.

Curiously Robin seemed to be the only one dissatisfied with the status quo. Cyborg relished the free time to work on never ending projects. He had build a "moped" for Beast Boy that could outrun most crotch rockets and had performed countless upgrades to the T-ship and the T-Cars, of which there were now 7 different models, 2 of which could fly.

Starfire had used the free time to learn how to properly cook food that wouldn't kill her boyfriend, and had actually become quite good at it. She and Robin had remained a couple since Tokyo but their relationship had moved forward excruciatingly slowly. Raven had once asked her if she had ever got past "first base" with Robin. The Boy Wonder recalled having to explain to Starfire what the baseball terminology actually meant and why humans used such "whimsical" slang to express what they all were too embarrassed to admit they were infatuated with. And after two years of dating they indeed had not gotten past first base, which was OK with Robin. He barely had enough time for Starfire as it was.

And speaking of getting on base, there was Raven and Beast Boy. On the surface it had been clearly business as usual for them. Raven would be snide to Beast Boy, insulting him and calling him stupid while he continued to annoy her and occasionally return the not so friendly barbs back to her, which invariably meant he would end up tossed out a window or with one of Raven's signature black energy wedgies. Robin had been glad, knowing that there were some things that could be counted on.

That is until that fateful night.

He had been up late that night, obsessing over work, piles of evidence and reports to make out for the police and the district attorney. Starfire had even asked him to spend the night with her, coyly suggesting that a surprise was waiting for him. He had asked her for a rain check, which he always did even though he never collected on them. He had been working until 2 AM when he finished his paperwork and with a yawn of relief shut down his office for the night.

He exited his office, making sure that the door was locked as he kept sensitive materials in there that even his teammates were not allowed to see, including highly sensitive dossiers on each one of them.

He rode the elevator up to the habitat level of the Tower and as he exited the elevator he heard shouting, screaming actually from the east wing of the Tower. His adrenaline kicked in and he raced down the hallway. The screams led him to Raven's room where he punched in the override code on the door which silently slid open and he charged in with his bo-staff already extended. He was not prepared for the sight that greeted him.

The room was illuminated in the warm amber glow of dozens of scented candles, which wasn't all that unusual for Raven. That wasn't caused Robin to go slack jawed, to stop breathing from the shock.

Raven's screams were of pleasure, not pain. She and Beast Boy were lying on top of her bed, their clothes strewn over the room and they were in "intimate embrace" to put it politely.

Robin didn't move as he watched the couple engage, quite expertly he thought, in their bedroom gymnastics, as this clearly wasn't their first time. Beast Boy acknowledged his pleasure with grunts and an occasional "I love you" while Raven continued to shout and scream her approval. Robin noticed that her eyes were in their demonic configuration, all 4 glowing red.

Robin snapped back to reality and decided that he needed to get out of the room ASAP. As he silently turned around he saw the door begin to slide shut. He made a quick dash but wasn't quick enough. The door slammed shut with a loud thud before he could escape.

Raven and Beast Boy both paused in their lovemaking and turned to the door. Raven was the first to see a cowering Robin, his faced smothered in terror.

And every window in the Tower shattered.

Robin sighed as he picked up the print out of the message he had received just minutes before. Raven had never fully forgiven him for what had happened that night and she temporarily broke up with Garfield. Fortunately they eventually got back together and publicly announced their relationship to their friends. Beast Boy moved into Raven's room and at her request Cyborg installed extra sound insulation. Six months later they announced their engagement and while a year had passed since their announcement they still hadn't set a date. Robin knew that Starfire was becoming envious of the chromatically challenged couple and was getting impatient with Robin. Very impatient.

But that was the least of his problems. He now had to ask Raven for a favor, one he knew she knew wouldn't like doing. Then, as if on cue, there was a knock on his office door.

"Come in, it's open."

The door slid open and the gray sorceress floated into the room, her hood was up and her face was concealed in the relative darkness of the room.

"You wanted to see me Robin?"

"Yes." He replied. "Please have a seat Raven."

Raven sat down and lowered her hood.

"What do you want Robin?"She asked bluntly. Robin looked up at her blank, unexpressive face. He wondered what Beast Boy saw in the cold, unemotional demoness, but quickly shook away the thought.

He handed her the email print out which she quickly read.

"Whoa!" Was her only response.

She looked up at Robin.

"Yeah, 'whoa'." He replied.

"So what does this mean to the team?" She asked.

"It means I have to return to Gotham, immediately. And I need you to take over the team while I'm gone."

"Why me?" She asked hesitantly. "Wouldn't Cyborg be a better choice?"

Robin shook his head. "Cyborg is too emotional. He's a natural leader but I trust your decision making more. You're more level headed and analytical."

"I don't want to do it." She snapped at him.

"But why Raven?"

Raven rolled her eyes.

"And you call yourself a detective?"

Robin sighed. "What is it Raven?"

"Haven't you been wondering why Gar and I haven't set a wedding date yet?"

Robin looked away from the penetrating gaze of her amethyst colored eyes.

"I'll admit that the thought has crossed my mind, but it's none of my business, so I kept my nose out of it." He had learned his lesson that night he caught them with their hands in the cookie jar.

"Well allow me to enlighten you. Gar and I have been struggling in our relationship. I'm by nature the dominant one …"

_No shit Sherlock._

"… in our relationship, excessively dominant in fact, and we've been 'working' on that. We both agreed that we won't tie the knot until we resolve this issue, and through a lot of blood, sweat and tears we've made enough progress …"

_Really? I sure haven't noticed._

"… that we think we should soon be able to announce our wedding date."

Robin sat up straight in his chair.

"Well that's good news! Congratulations. So what's the problem?"

Raven frowned at him.

"The problem, bird boy, is that if I become my lover's boss it will undo everything we've been working to achieve. And I'll quit the team before I allow that to happen."

Robin sighed and rubbed his forehead. He then had an idea.

"How about if the two of you run the team together?"

Raven stroked her chin.

"I'll think about it."

"I need to leave today Raven. If you don't accept I'll have to bring someone from outside."

Raven subtly flinched at the threat.

"OK, but let me talk to Gar first."

Robin smiled. "I knew I could count on you Raven."

The dark sorceress levitated out of her chair and glided to the door which slid open as she exited the room.

"You're welcome." She deadpanned as the door slid shut behind her.

Robin shook his head.

_Run for your life Beast Boy. There's no way you could possibly be happy with her. Even Terra would be a better choice._

Robin sighed as he picked up the print out and re-read it for the umpteenth time.

"From: Alfred Pennyworth

To: Robin of the Teen Titans

Dear Master Richard:

I am writing you this missive so that you will hear the news from us before you hear it in the mass media. Master Bruce is unwilling to communicate this to you, but I believe that it is imperative that you know.

Yesterday the Bat clan suffered two tragedies.

Jason Todd, your replacement as Master Bruce's partner, was murdered by the Joker yesterday. I will spare you the details but his demise was carried out in a cruel and horrifying manner, done clearly with the intent of affecting Master Bruce, which it did.

Unfortunately there was a second incident later that day. The Joker ambushed Barbara Gordon and shot her. She is in intensive care at Gotham Mercy Hospital and while she will survive the attack she has been left paralyzed from below the waist.

Master Richard, I implore you to return to Gotham to assist Master Bruce. I know that when you departed that Master Bruce was not happy with your decision and has not spoken with you since that unfortunate day, but he needs you now more than ever, even if he won't admit it. And let it not be forgotten that the Joker must be stopped, and Master Bruce cannot accomplish this without your help.

I have sent a corporate jet to collect you in Jump City. Master Richard, I beseech you to return. Master Bruce and Miss Gordon need your help…"

Robin dropped the hard copy on his desk. He stood up and exited his office. He still had to pack his bags. And tell Starfire he was leaving.

And might never return.

* * *

OK, this is something I thought of as I was walking the dog earlier. It's a first for me, a Robin specific story.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

Robin silently entered his room. Of all the bedrooms in the tower his was the most Spartan and devoid of personality. Unlike the other bedrooms his didn't have any posters on the walls; there were no sports trophies, no book cases full of books. There were no collectibles on the shelves, no discarded pizza boxes, no TV, no gamestation. It could have been a hotel room by its appearance, except for a single freestanding picture frame on his nightstand which he picked up and stared at.

_Mom, Dad…_

The Boy Wonder reverently laid the small picture on his bed and walked to his closet which he slid open. He reached down and retrieved a large, metallic suitcase, which he also placed on top of his bed. It was part of a set of three; the smallest piece was the case the Ding Dong Daddy had stolen years ago. Like the smaller case it was clad in a tough Titanium alloy shell and had an encrypted lock which Robin opened using an electronic key he kept in his utility belt. The case snapped open, exposing its now empty interior.

Robin walked back to his closet and surveyed its contents. As it had for years it contained over a dozen of his signature traffic light costumes. As he reached for the newer sets that were hanging in the closet his eyes drifted to an even newer set of costumes. These were all black, with a blue winged symbol on the chest. His hand drifted to the black costumes, which hung on the left side of the closet. He removed one of the new sleek costumes and examined it before putting it back.

Now was not the time, he thought, to introduce Nightwing to the world. Bruce needed Robin, Gotham needed Robin.

The Boy Wonder retrieved several of his costumes from the closet and after removing them from their hangers he folded them before placing them into the case. He quietly continued packing, throwing in a few of his metal wrapped shoes and other necessities. The last thing he placed in the case was his toiletries kit. He then began to close the suitcase but stopped as he saw that the picture frame was still on the bed. He pulled a t-shirt out of his chest of drawers and carefully wrapped the frame in it, after which he gently placed it in the suitcase.

Robin surveyed his room one more time before closing the case, somehow feeling that he was forgetting something. He shook his head; still unconvinced he had everything he needed. He had already packed his personal arsenal of weapons into the medium sized case, so it wasn't that.

He began to pace around the room, unsure of what he was looking for. He then sighed, and headed to the chest of drawers and found it. It had fallen down flat and he hadn't seen it. As he picked it up there was a knock on the door.

"It's open." He deadpanned.

The door slid open and revealed two female figures, one tall and red headed, and the other was short and violet haired. They quietly entered the room. Had he not been wearing his ever present mask his eyes would have met with the Tamaranian's.

"Robin, Raven has just told me that you are leaving for Gotham City and that you might be gone for a long time."

Robin felt his heart sink as he saw the look on Starfire's face. She looked so sad. The last time he had seen that look was when he had gone off to search for the True Master.

"Yes Star." He nodded. "Batman needs my help." He replied as he averted his gaze in Raven's direction. As always her face looked expressionless.

"Must you go alone on this mission Robin?" Starfire asked.

"Yes Star, I must. I was Batman's first partner; none of you have any kind of bond with him. It wouldn't make any sense for any of you to come with me."

Raven replied.

"That's not true Robin. We are all your friends. Maybe we've never meet the Batman, but we all know him through you."

Robin sighed softly.

"That might be true Raven, but I can't ask any of you to come on this mission. It's too dangerous. Gotham isn't Jump City you know. This isn't the Hive-5 or Mumbo I'm going up against. We're talking about the Joker here…"

"Then that is all the more reason why you shouldn't go alone Robin." Raven continued. "We're the Titans Robin. We're a team, we never walk alone."

"But Raven, we can't just all leave Jump City …"

The gray sorceress raised her hand to silence him.

"We can spare someone Robin; you know it's been slow lately. It's nothing that Gar, Cyborg and I can't handle."

Robin turned his focus to his alien girlfriend.

"Are you sure you want to come Star? Gotham is a … well, let's just say that it's not your kind of town. It's dark and gloomy, the people are unfriendly and the villains … the villains are the worst. Imagine if every villain we faced in Jump City was as bad as Slade…"

"I am not afraid Robin." Starfire replied crossly. "I have battled with the Trigon, or have you forgotten?"

Robin was about to dig his heels in when he saw Raven glaring at him.

"Are you sure about this Star? Bruce isn't the friendliest guy in the world, and right now he's really messed up. I need to go and be Gotham's Robin again."

Robin saw a tear drip down Starfire's cheek.

"Do you not want me at your side Robin? I thought we were the 'soul mates'. How can I allow you to face danger by yourself?"

Robin knew he had lost and as he searched deep within he realized that he didn't want to go alone.

"Go ahead Star, pack your bags. We're going to Gotham. But wear your holoring. The crew on the jet is expecting to meet Dick Grayson, not a pair of Titans. And we need to get to the airport soon."

The alien princess smiled and nodded. "I will make with the haste."

She turned and mouthed the words 'thank you' to Raven before she literally flew out the door.

Robin turned back to his suitcase and snapped it shut. He then restored Starfire's portrait to its place on top of the chest of drawers.

"I can't believe you were going to leave without her."

Robin peeled his mask off as he walked back to his closet. He began to rummage through his small set of civilian clothes, unable to make a choice. Raven stepped up next to him and quickly selected a short sleeved shirt and a pair of slacks for him to wear to the airport.

"Maybe I still should."

"Robin, sit down." The demoness ordered him.

He sighed again but complied.

"She's right Robin. You need her to be with you. Especially now. Bruce is going to be a mess and Barbara is paralyzed. This is more than you can handle by yourself."

"But why her Raven?"

Raven's face betrayed an emotion. It was disgust.

"What the hell is the matter with you Robin? Why do you keep pushing her away from you? Shit, I'm the 'ice queen' and even I knew when I had something good going for me. I didn't push Gar away."

"Not true, you pushed him away for years."

"Touché, but I did stop and you know why I did finally stop?"

He shook his head.

"Because I finally understood that I was being an idiot. I thought that I was meant to be alone, that it was my fate in life. But fortunately I let him in, and now I wouldn't want it any other way."

Robin stared blankly at his gray friend.

"Robin, you two are meant to be together. Can't you see it?"

"I know Raven, she's wonderful, more than I could ever deserve."

"So?"

"Well, what if something happened to me? Jason didn't even last a year, and Barb…" He choked up and began to cry. Raven had never seen him cry before. She wrapped her arms around him as she tried to console him.

"That's why you need her at your side Robin. You don't know it yet, but she's already part of you. Running away won't change that."

The two birds remained in their fraternal embrace.

"I guess you're right Raven. Thanks for helping me see the light." He kissed her gently on her forehead.

"Don't mention it."

Robin released her from his hug. "So when are you and Beast Boy going to get hitched?" He asked, eager to change the subject.

"Funny you should ask. I was just discussing this with him. We agreed that we're ready now, but we're gonna wait until you and Starfire return."

He smiled. Then his expression changed to one of regret.

"I'm sorry Raven." He apologized out of the blue.

"For what?"

"Look, I know I've been a jerk about you and Gar's relationship since, well, that night."

"That night?" She replied as she stiffened.

"Raven, I need you to forgive me for what happened that night. You know it was an accident. An embarrassing accident."

"You know you almost killed our relationship that night."

"I know and I'm sorry. And I know I didn't help when you two got back together."

"Your disapproval was obvious, but why Robin?"

"I thought for a long time that you guys were making a huge mistake."

"You did?"

"Yeah, I did. At first I thought it was just about the sex and that you would break up sooner or later. I had even arranged with Bumblebee to trade Beast Boy for Aqualad when that moment came, you know, to avoid awkwardness."

"You did what?" Raven asked in a dangerous tone.

"Anyway, you guys proved me wrong. You never fight anymore, and while you don't engage in any displays of public affection even I can see that you're both very close and love each other."

"OK, that's better." She replied. "So have you learned anything from our little conversation?"

He nodded as he smiled softly. "That I'm being an idiot."

"About time." She replied with a smirk. "Now go to Gotham and introduce your girl to Bruce. And after that the two of you can go kick the Joker's butt."

"Yes ma'am!" He replied.

"And don't take forever. We don't want to wait until the end of time, you know?"

Richard chuckled. "Raven Logan has a nice sound to it, it kind of rolls off the tongue."

"So does Starfire Grayson. Now get ready. I already called a team meeting so you can tell Cyborg and the Titans East over the video conference system." She said as she walked out the room.

* * *

The non-descript Ford sedan pulled up to the private plane terminal at Jump City airport. The driver, a muscular African –American youth flashed an ID card at the security guard, who raised the barrier allowing the car to enter the private terminal parking lot, where its driver parked the vehicle.

Two passengers emerged from the car while a porter retrieved their luggage and quickly carted it away to the awaiting Gulfstream jet. The two passengers were a tall brunette with deep blue eyes and a young man with dark hair who wore sunglasses. The driver also emerged from the car and escorted them to the awaiting jet.

The captain and co-pilot were waiting by the aircraft's open hatch, next to the short staircase on the tarmac.

"Good afternoon Mr. Grayson." The captain greeted him. "We are ready to depart whenever you please."

Robin saw the captain's name tag: 'McKenna'.

"Thank you captain. We will be having Miss Anders joining us on our flight to Gotham."

"It will be our pleasure Mr. Grayson. We're anticipating a smooth flight today. Mr. Pennyworth prepared some dinner for you. There should be more than enough for both you and Miss Anders."

"Thank you captain. Please prepare for an immediate departure."

"As you wish sir. Please make yourselves comfortable in the cabin."

Robin and Starfire said goodbye to Cyborg who then returned to the car and drove away. Starfire walked up the steps into the aircraft, followed by Robin who stopped as he reached the top of the steps and turned to face away from the plane. Titans Tower could be seen in the distance.

_Why do I feel like I'm never going to see you again?_

He entered the hatch and moved into the cabin, sitting next to Starfire as the lone flight attendant closed the door. The aircraft's engines began to whine and before he had become comfortable in his seat they were airborne.

He turned to Starfire and took her hand, gently squeezing it.

"I'm glad you came." He smiled at her.

* * *

Kind of a segue chapter. Hope it wasn't too dull.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

The corporate jet slowly began its descent into the greater Gotham City area. The hour was late and the two passengers, who had dined luxuriously on the meal that Alfred had prepared for them in advance, were still napping as the flight attendant emerged from the cockpit.

"They're still asleep captain." She whispered back into the flight deck.

"You might as well wake them up. Pennyworth is waiting for them at the airport." Captain McKenna replied.

The flight attendant nodded, as she focused on the couple, especially the mysterious girl, whose head was resting on Grayson's shoulder.

"Who is she captain? Mr. Pennyworth never mentioned that Mr. Grayson had a companion." She asked.

"There's a lot that Pennyworth doesn't tell us. Just mind your own business Miss Ashmore." He rebuked the girl. "And hurry up; we've been cleared to land."

The flight attendant turned away and frowned. She didn't get along well with Captain McKenna and even though he was one of eight pilots in the employ of Wayne Corp she seemed to be assigned to his crew far more often than mere chance would explain. If it hadn't been for the excellent wage that she was earning, which was clearly far above market, she would have quit a long time ago.

As she approached the slumbering couple she couldn't help but notice how handsome and dashing he was. She also took notice of his companion. She had already noticed since the beginning of the flight that Miss Anders was a knockout, a regular beauty queen. It wasn't surprising, she reminded herself. Mr. Grayson was one of Bruce Wayne's heirs, so it stood to reason that he would have the finest arm candy that money could buy. Nevertheless, there was something familiar about the girl, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She certainly wasn't an actress and she doubted she was a model, she just wasn't the type. The girl did have an athletic build. She was slender but Miss Ashmore noticed her rippling muscles. Of course. She was an athlete.

"Mr. Grayson, Mr. Grayson."

Robin began to stir and woke up, slowly opening his eyes.

"I'm sorry Mr. Grayson, but we are about to land."

Robin immediately snapped to attention, fully awake.

"There's no need to apologize Miss, you're just doing your job. And don't worry about Star … Miss Anders, I'll wake her."

"Thank you Mr. Grayson. I'll go ahead and secure the cabin for landing then."

Miss Ashmore retreated to the galley in the rear of the place and began to check that everything had been stowed away for the landing. She watched the couple furtively from the galley. Then it dawned on her. Miss Anders bore a passing resemblance to one of the Titans, the alien, what was her name?

_Starfire? Didn't he just refer to her as 'Star'?_

She took another look at the girl. Miss Ashmore was based in Gotham, and the Titans didn't get a lot of press in Batman's town, so she wasn't very familiar with the Jump City heroes. Dick Grayson wouldn't be the first playboy to date a super heroine. Still…

"Miss Ashmore!" The captain's voice boomed over the intercom. "Is the cabin secure? We're approaching the runway!"

The young stewardess sat down in her seat in the galley, buckling herself in.

"The cabin is secure." She replied into her handset.

"Well it's about time!"

Lisa Ashmore stuck her tongue out at the handset before hanging it back in its cradle.

* * *

Raven and Beast Boy trudged back into their room at 2 AM.

"Three Rae!" The changeling complained. "Three missions in one night! What happened to our slow streak?"

Raven sat down exhausted on the edge of their bed. It had been a grueling evening and night. The first alarm went off before Cyborg had even returned from the airport. The other two came in quick succession, not even allowing the 3 Titans a chance to have dinner. Raven was hungry, but she had no appetite.

She kicked of her blue boots. Beast Boy discretely stared at her feet, and not because he had a foot fetish. Far from it. Since the day he first met Raven he had thought she was a beauty. He loved the curves on her figure, her shapely legs and bosom. He also loved her violet hair and even her gray complexion. But it is said that no beauty was without a flaw, and Raven was no exception.

She had huge feet.

They were even bigger than Beast Boy's feet, even though he was now taller than her. He had always wondered why she always wore those ugly, floppy, oversized boots. He had learned the truth once they became lovers, as Raven never was seen barefoot in the Tower, or anywhere else for that matter. The only time he had ever seen her bare foot before was in Brother Bloods underwater lair, and he had been too busy at the time to notice how big her foot was. The idea was to make everyone think that it was the boots that were big, not her feet. He had to give her credit, the deception did work.

"Beats me Gar. It's not like we advertised that Robin and Starfire are gone. And you can stop staring at my feet. I know they're really big, especially for a girl, OK?"

The changeling rubbed the back of his neck as he stared at her desk, which was already buried in paperwork.

"Sorry Rae. When do you want us to work on the paperwork?"

"Not now Gar, it can wait. Right now I need a shower in the worst way possible. Would you like to scrub my back?"

"You bet!" He replied gleefully as he followed her into their private bath. Soon they were under the soothing stream of hot water, which washed away the evidence of their encounters that day with Johnny Rancid, Control Freak and, the main reason they were washing up, Plasmus. The couple lingered in the shower stall after they finished washing, enjoying the massaging effect of the water.

"What time is the trial tomorrow?" He asked her.

"It's at 10. And I hope that this time the judge throws the book at the Hive-5."

"Jinx is testifying against them, right?" He asked.

"And Cyborg too." She replied as she shut off the water. Beast Boy took her hand.

"Rae, would you like to get married tomorrow? Jinx and Cy can be our witnesses, and we'll already be at the courthouse."

She squeezed his hand back.

"Are you sure? We told Robin and Starfire that we would wait until they came back. Starfire will be heartbroken if we don't wait." She deadpanned.

"I know." He replied. "But if we do wait she's gonna make a big deal of it Rae. She's gonna nag you to wear a big frilly wedding gown, she'll invite a bazillion people, she'll hire a band …."

"You have a point there." She interrupted as she looked into his eyes. "This means a lot to you, doesn't it?"

He smiled sheepishly.

"Well yeah, I want us to be official Rae."

"Gar, as far as I'm concerned we've been 'official' for over a year." She droned in her monotone as she dried off. "We've already pledged ourselves to each other."

"I know, but I want us to be, you know 'officially official'." He replied in an almost pleading voice.

Raven gave him a soft smile.

"OK"

* * *

Starfire and Robin descended the short stairway from the hatch of the Gulfstream jet. Starfire was able to discern the city's gothic skyline in the distance; its ornate style was in direct contrast to Jump City's sleek and modern skyline. As she looked down she saw a dark limousine waiting at the foot of the stairs, with the uniformed driver standing by the open passenger door.

"Master Richard, have you brought a guest? Under normal circumstances I would not object, but these are not normal circumstances."

As the couple approached Bruce's majordomo and confidant he recognized Robin's companion. He quickly regained his composure and bowed deeply in the female's direction.

"Forgive me your highness; I did not recognize you in your disguise."

Lisa Ashmore had been once again snooping on Dick Grayson from the open hatch.

_Your highness? So she's royalty? Damn! I thought all royal chicks were ugly. Where did he find her?_

"Miss Ashmore! Some of us would like to lock up the jet and go home. Would you please stop snooping on our employers and focus on finishing your tasks!"

She was so mesmerized that she almost didn't hear the pilot's rebuke.

"Sorry captain. I'm almost done cleaning the cabin."

"Well make it snappy! It's already past midnight and we have a 7AM flight tomorrow." He barked at her.

* * *

The drive into Gotham was an eye opener for Starfire. She had never been to Gotham before and she was clearly not prepared for what she saw. The overall state of decrepitude was staggering. She had never seen so many dilapidated, graffiti covered and boarded up old buildings before, many were fire gutted and clearly ready for the wrecking ball, not that one would show up anytime soon. And then there were the homeless. Jump City, due to its mild climate had its share of homeless people, but this was staggering. It seemed that there was a small crowd of people at every intersection huddled around an old oil drum with a fire in it. Eventually the car made its way to the expressway where it continued until it reached an off ramp labeled 'Gotham Central Hospital'.

Alfred parked the limo in the hospital's garage and led the couple inside.

"Miss Gordon was moved out of intensive care this morning." He told them. "Commissioner Gordon arranged an exception to visiting hour rules."

Starfire felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. While she felt sorry for Barbara Gordon she couldn't help but feel that the woman, who would be wheelchair bound for the rest of her life, was still a competitor, a threat, when it came to Robin's heart. Some time ago, in a clear lapse of judgment, Robin had told Starfire that he and Barbara had briefly been lovers just before he left Gotham for Jump City. The princess has offered herself more than once to her boyfriend, but he refused each time, claiming that 'jumping the gun would mess things up'. That was when he told her about how he and Barbara briefly had a physical relationship, and how it had blown up and ruined everything.

Learning that tidbit about Robin's past had unnerved the princess. But as Alfred led then into the Barbara's room her concern was mitigated by the pitiful sight of the now ex-batgirl. Starfire had seen portraits of Barbara that Robin kept in his one and only photo album. The red head was a stunning women and seeing her photos always made the Tamaranian feel uneasy. But Barbara didn't look anything like her photos. While she had been discharged from intensive care, she still looked awful. She was almost as pale as Raven and her hair was a mess. Her eyes looked empty, void of life. Her father was sitting next to her and he looked up at the recent arrivals.

"Dick! Thank God you came!" Jim Gordon greeted him as he stood up, shaking the young man's hand. He then turned to Alfred. "Thanks for bringing him home Alfred. Batman needs him. We all need him."

_Home?_ Starfire thought. _I thought the Tower was our home._

Dick ran to Barbara's side. Her clearly still drugged face lit up.

"Dick, you came. You've come home."

Richard bent over and kissed Barbara on the cheek.

"I'm here Babs. Everything's going to be OK."

Starfire watch with an impassive expression, when in reality she was terrified. Robin had never shown her such tenderness.

Barbara began to sob.

"No Dick, I'm not OK." She choked up. "I'm a damn cripple now Dick, a cripple." She began to wail as he put his arm around her and held her tight.

"You're still my Babs." He replied.

Barbara pulled herself together.

"No I'm not. You're hers Dick." She said as she pointed at the still disguised Starfire. "And don't act dumb. Everyone knows you're dating Starfire."

The Tamaranian pulled off her holoring and reverted to her natural look. She was dressed in civilian clothes but there was no mistaking that she was not human.

"Barbara." Her father rebuked her. "Dick dropped everything in Jump City to come help us." He turned to Richard. "We were however expecting you to come alone."

Starfire spoke up.

"Mr. Gordon, Robin will be facing grave danger here in Gotham. As his teammate and best friend I could not allow him to face it alone."

"Best friend?" Barbara hissed. "You mean his lover!"

Starfire shook her head sadly.

"No Miss Gordon. I do regret to say that I cannot claim that title."

Barbara looked away.

"I'm sorry. That was uncalled for."

Starfire's expression softened.

"I forgive you. Now Robin and I must go and meet the Batman. And do not fear Miss Gordon. You and Jason shall be avenged. I swear by X'hal that the Joker will pay for his crimes."

The couple turned to leave.

"I'll come see you again Babs." Robin promised.

* * *

They were back in the car and were now pulling up at the manor.

Alfred parked the car in front of the main entry to the house. He opened the trunk on the Rolls Royce and began to remove their luggage. He staggered as he attempted to remove Starfire's large and unbelievably heavy trunk from the Roll's 'boot' as he called it. The Tamaranian noticed his plight and came to his assistance, lifting the trunk from his arms as if it were light as a pillow.

"Your highness, please allow me." He protested. "I will retrieve the hand truck. Please do not concern yourself."

"It is quite alright Mr. Pennyworth." She replied. "I do not mind carrying my luggage." At the same time Richard picked up his own two cases.

"It's OK Alfred. Just show us to our rooms. And where's Bruce?" Richard asked.

Alfred sighed in resignation. "He was in the Batcave before I left to collect you."

"Good, we'll go down to see him after we freshen up."

Alfred led the two Titans to their guest rooms. Dick's old room had been given to Jason and he felt a chill as he walked past it. The two guest rooms were further down the hall and were adjacent; Dick noticed they had a connecting door. Alfred was old fashioned and very traditional, but he was also very pragmatic. Alfred opened the rooms and led them in.

"Unless you require anything I will now retire for the evening." Alfred told the couple. They thanked him and bid him good night. Within 5 five minutes they had changed and freshened up and were on their way to the Batcave.

Robin led Starfire into the dimly lit drawing room and walked up to the large grandfather clock. As she watched he opened the glass door and deftly avoiding the swing pendulum he grabbed one of the chains and gave it a pull. As expected the clock slid sideways, revealing a dark staircase.

"This way Star." He told his alien girlfriend. Dick walked down the stairs while Starfire floated behind him. The staircase was long and twisted and after a brief hike the reached its bottom.

And they both ducked to dodge a pair of batarangs that had been thrown at them.

"Bruce! It's me, Dick!" Robin called out.

The Dark Night emerged from the shadows, armed again with two more batarangs.

"I don't recall inviting you to come back." His voice was cold, devoid of all emotion.

"You didn't. Alfred did."

Batman folded and stored his batarangs back into his utility belt.

"Did he also invite your _girlfriend_?"

Robin bristled at the accusation.

"No, I brought her to help me help you."

"I thought you worked alone."

"That was a long time ago."

Batman stared at his former protégé and his alien girlfriend.

"Being romantically involved with a teammate is a recipe for disaster, even if she is an alien princess."

This time Starfire lost her cool.

"You will know that our relationship has never had a negative effect on our team!" She growled.

The Dark Knight gave her a cold stare that would have put Raven to shame.

"Perhaps for now, but you two are still only dating. Soon you will be cohabitating like the demoness and the changeling, and that will complicate things."

Robin looked surprised. That was supposed to be a tightly guarded secret in the Tower. No one outside of the Titan's network was supposed to know that Beast Boy and Raven had 'shacked up'.

"How did you know that?"

Batman shook his head in disapproval.

"I make it my business to know."

* * *

For those of you wondering if I will ever finish the Wild Man's journey, have no fear. The final chapter is in progress, though you might have to wait another week to read it. For some odd reason I'm struggling with it, but it is coming along.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

"So you've been spying on us Bruce?" Robin asked indignantly.

"I wouldn't call it spying. Your 'Tower' stands out like a sore thumb in Jump City bay.

"But friend Cyborg says that it is immune to the dropping of eaves."

The Dark Knight snorted.

"You can tell Cyborg that it's very easy to eavesdrop on the Tower. Especially when Raven loses her temper and blows out every window in your not so subtle headquarters."

"That's only ever happened once!" Robin snapped.

"Nevertheless, your Tower is nowhere nearly as secure as you think it is. How many villains have breached your defenses? I seem to recall that Mad Mod, Control Freak, The Puppet King, The Hive and Deathstroke have successfully stormed your headquarters."

"Thanks for reminding me Bruce." Robin replied sarcastically. "I had almost forgotten."

"Never mind." The Dark Knight deadpanned. "If you two are going to be of any help to me we're going to have to train Starfire."

"I do not understand Batman. Robin is always having us train to improve our skills." She complained.

"I know, but you must understand that the Joker is beyond any villain you have fought before. He is so dangerous that he makes Deathstroke, your nemesis, look like an amateur."

The princess cross her arms and scowled at Batman.

"I know who the Joker is. Robin has told us much about him over the years."

Batman snapped back at her.

"Then he hasn't told you enough, otherwise you would be afraid."

Starfire's eyes began to glow.

"Are you saying that I am a coward Batman, that I am a weakling who should be afraid of the Joker? I am a warrior of Tamaran!"

The Dark Knight had his back to the princess and spun around. He had a small purple can of aerosol in his hand, which he sprayed in the Tamaranian's face. At first she looked nonplussed as Robin stared in horror, having a good idea of what Batman had just done. At first nothing happened to Robin's immense relief, but then without warning Starfire began to giggle. A few moments later she was chuckling.

"R-r-r-robin, wh-wh-what is ha-ha-happening to me?" She asked as she began to laugh uncontrollably.

"R-r-r-robin, he-he-help me!" She shouted between guffaws as she fell to the ground.

"Bruce! Give her the antidote! Now!"

Batman produced another small can of aerosol from his utility belt and sprayed it into Starfire's face. Almost instantly Starfire's laughter subsided. Once it had stopped completely she stood up again. From the look on her face Robin could see that she had been and still was terrified.

"Lesson number one, never underestimate the Joker, and lesson number two, always expect the unexpected when dealing with him or his henchwoman Harley Quinn. When the Joker is involved there's no room for …"

Batman paused.

"… for even a single mistake." Robin completed the sentence as he wrapped his arms around Starfire.

The Dark Knight approached the princess. Raven had always intimidated her with her powers and dark personality, but she realized right there and then that Batman was far more intimidating than Raven ever could be.

"Do you really wish to help me Starfire?" He deadpanned.

She had regained her composure and replied in confident voice.

"Yes Batman, I do."

Bruce walked over to a nearby desk and opened a drawer, retrieving a cardboard box that he placed on top of the desk. As Robin and Starfire approached he opened it and they could see that it contained a brand new Batgirl costume and the utility belt that went with it. He turned back to the princess and handed the box to her.

"You and Barbara are about the same size, so this should fit you. It has the new cowl with the opaque eyes covers, so no one will be able to see you green eyes." He reached into another drawer and pulled out a small jar. "You can wear this makeup on your face to hide your alien complexion." He then removed the utility belt from the box. "You will need to learn to use this belt's contents Starfire. Robin will begin to train you right now."

Robin looked confused.

"Bruce, she has superpowers. She's almost as strong as a Kryptonian. Why have her learn to use our weapons? And why have her dress as Babs?" The Boy Wonder asked.

"I need her to impersonate Batgirl. I don't want anyone to figure out that Barbara was Batgirl; it would put her in danger. I need Gotham to see that Batgirl is still on patrol but it won't do any good if your girlfriend flies around, uses her superhuman strength or fires star bolts at villains while dressed as Batgirl."

Robin puffed his chest out. "Starfire is a quick learner. She'll be ready to go out on patrol with me tomorrow night. And I guarantee you that no one will be able to tell that she's not Batgirl."

The Dark Night gave his old apprentice a long look.

"That's a big promise. You'd better get started Dick." And without another word he turned and left the Batcave.

"Robin, I now see what you meant when you said that the Batman was a 'jerk', and I also now understand why you became separated from him."

Robin shook his head.

"No Star, something's wrong with Bruce. He's not normally like this …" His voice trailed off, the concern was clear and evident. He then turned his focus to his girlfriend.

"I think we'd better get started with the training."

"Do you think I will be prepared tomorrow to be the fake Batgirl?"

"You're already familiar with most of my weapons, so it should be quick. Go ahead and put on the costume and the utility belt. Before anything else you need to become familiar with each compartment in it…"

* * *

In a dark, abandoned warehouse in one of Gotham's derelict business districts the faint glow of a large plasma TV illuminated the mostly empty building. The building consisted of a single room that had tables covered in blueprints and there were also dozens of workbenches with all sorts of bizarre, incomplete projects on them, from the cobwebs on some of them it was evident that many had been abandoned and forgotten months ago.

There was a small loveseat in front of the TV and there were two people sitting on it, watching the Gotham Eyewitness News on channel 5. Commissioner Jim Gordon was being interviewed and the couple watching the TV was not pleased. Gordon spoke:

"I am very pleased to announce that the original Robin, Batman's first partner, has returned to Gotham from Jump City, where he has been serving successfully as the leader of the Teen Titans for the past 5 years. We are very happy that Robin has returned to us in our time of need and I know that he will be successful in helping Batman and Batgirl capture the Joker."

Gordon paused.

"Joker, I know you're watching this. Go easy on yourself and surrender. I promise that you will receive a fair trial and …"

Gordon's speech was interrupted by several gunshots, which instantly destroyed the TV.

"Why'dya do that for puddin'? That was our last TV."

"Why? Why you ask? Didn't you hear a word he said Harley? He expects me to surrender simply because the original Boy Blunder came back to Gotham."

"Gordon's a jerk Mr. J. We all know that. But now I can't watch American Idol, and it starts in an hour."

"Fine, fine, I'll have one of the goons go out right now and steal an even better TV for you Harley."

Harley smiled.

"Thanks puddin', yer the best! So what are ya goin' to do with the Bat Brat?"

The Joker began to chuckle.

"What do you think Harley? The same thing I did to his replacement!"

Harley Quinn looked concerned.

"Is that a good idea Mr. J? He's one of those Teen Titans now."

The Joker tsk-tsk'd his shapely henchwoman.

"Those prepubescent children are highly overrated Harley. Killing the original Robin will be good for a laugh."

Harley continued to look worried.

"I don't know puddin', some of his teammates are kinda scary, especially that witch girl."

The Joker smiled and patted Harley on her head as if she were a small child.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head Harley; I've got everything under control. This time we're going to kill both Robin and Batgirl! That'll put a potato into the Batmobile's tailpipe!"

The warehouse echoed with his maniacal laugh.

* * *

The sound of several locks unlocking roused the snoozing cat from its slumber. The tabby yawned and stretched before making its way to the door to greet its master, who quickly entered the small apartment and slammed the door shuit behind her, engaging each of the 5 locks on the door.

Lisa Ashmore was still wearing her flight attendant uniform as she kicked off her shoes. The tabby greeted her by rubbing itself against her legs. After dropping her purse on the small kitchen table she bent over and petted her feline companion.

"Hi there Pharaoh, it's good to see that someone appreciates me, unlike that no good Michael McKenna. Can you believe that I've been assigned to his crew for every shift for the next six weeks? And the scheduler blew me off when I asked to be assigned to another crew!"

Lisa walked up to a mirror that hung on the wall and undid her hair, which she had to keep in a tight bun at Captain McKenna's request. Had times not been so hard and the pay so good she would have flipped him off and quit. But most airlines were paying new flight attendants about half of what Wayne paid her, so she put up with his crap.

Of course, that didn't mean she couldn't have some fun. She pulled a very thin point and shoot digital camera from one of the pockets in her slacks. She walked over to her desk and turned on the display on her iMac and placed the camera in its docking station. She launched iPhoto and uploaded all of the pictures she had on the camera. She had taken quite a few during her 1 hour break at Jump City. It had been her first time there and she took dozens of shots during her break, including a few of the near legendary Titans Tower. But those were not the pictures she was interested in, at least not at the moment.

Once the camera finished uploading its JPEGs to the iMac she began to browse through them, until she found the ones she wanted.

It was against company policy to take any pictures of passengers on the corporate jets, even with their permission. This of course didn't stop the mousy flight attendant. She smiled as she reviewed the pictures she snapped while Grayson and his babe were napping.

"It has to be her." She muttered out loud as she opened Firefox and Google'd 'Teen Titans Starfire'. The results came back instantly and she clicked on the links to images. She selected a large picture of the alien standing next to Robin, and it appeared in her browser. She quickly compared the two.

"Pennyworth said she was disguised." She muttered out loud as she continued to compare the two pictures.

"It's her alright! He's dating the alien! I knew it!"

Lisa then read the article that accompanied the glam shot of Robin and Starfire. That article prattled about how the alien and the original Boy Wonder were an item in Jump City, they were the city's celebrity couple.

"Guess what Boy Blunder? Richard Grayson just stole your girl!" She chuckled to herself. She was extremely pleased and began to wonder how much a gossip magazine would pay for the candid photo. If it was enough it might even be worth getting fired for it. Best of all, she could tell Michael McKenna to go frak himself.

Lisa leaned back, feeling please with herself. She took a second look at the two pictures, this time focusing on Dick Grayson and Robin.

"Whoa! Wait a minute!" She shouted, startling her cat.

She opened the picture of Robin and Starfire in PhotoShop and stared at it. Lisa was a digital shutterbug. She didn't have a boyfriend so she spent a lot of her free time dedicated to her hobby. Using an airbrush tool she removed Robins mask.

_Let's see, Grayson has blue eyes…_

She opened another photo and using the crop tool she cut and pasted the eyes onto Robin's face.

"No freaking way." She slowly muttered in astonishment. There was no mistaking what she was seeing.

"So Robin didn't lose his girl after all."

A wave of pure excitement poured through Lisa Ashmore. Her discovery, it was worth a fortune. She quickly calmed herself.

_I need to be sure._

She opened the online edition of the Jump City News. Just as Batman had a section dedicated entirely to him and the entire Batclan in the local Gotham newspaper, the Titans also had a couple of pages dedicated to them in the Jump City paper. Lisa quickly scanned the current articles and she soon hit pay dirt.

"Robin and Starfire missing in action during Titan battles with Johnny Rancid, Control Freak and Plasmus!"

She then opened a browser to the online Gotham newspaper.

"_Commissioner Gordon announces that original Boy Wonder to return to Gotham."_

"I was right!" She shouted as she picked Pharaoh up and kissed him. "Pharaoh my dear, did you know that Dick Grayson is Robin?"

And then the full realization hit her.

"And that means that Batman is Bruce Wayne!"

* * *

"Wheeeeeee!"

Robin watched as Starfire swung across the ravine in the Batcave, hanging on to the grappling rope she had just shot at the ceiling of the Batcave. The alien swung across with perfect grace, and as she cleared the chasm she released the rope and performed a perfect flip in the air, landing with the grace of an Olympic gymnast.

"Was that acceptable Robin?" She asked eagerly. She had been practicing for over an hour as the dozens of ropes hanging from the ceiling bore witness to. His grin was all she needed to see.

"It was perfect Star. I only have one final comment. Don't say 'wheeee!' while you swing."

The Tamaranian giggled. Robin couldn't make up his mind whether she looked cute or unbelievably hot in the dark spandex costume. Barbara had changed her costume since he left for Jump City, trading her light gray costume for the black costume with yellow highlights that Starfire was now wearing.

Robin had spent the night working with the Tamaranian and was pleased with the results. Not only had Starfire quickly learned to mimic Barbara's moves, she had mastered all of the weapons and tools in her new utility belt, although she initially had trouble with one of them.

"I think we're done here Star. Would you mind bringing all those grappling hooks down from the ceiling?"

"Certainly Robin!" She replied cheerfully as she flew up to ceiling.

As Robin watched her retrieve the grappling hooks he heard a pair of footsteps approaching.

"Good morning Master Richard." Alfred greeted him as looked up at Starfire levitating near the ceiling. "I must say, a flying Batgirl! I suppose it makes sense, after all bats do fly."

"That they do. Oh by the way Alfred, I need you to do me a favor."

"Why certainly Master Richard, what may I do for you?"

Robin rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, you see, during training Starfire had a little … accident."

"My word! Her highness hasn't injured herself, has she?"

Robin chuckled. "She's fine Alfred."

"Well then Master Richard, do tell, what happened?"

"It was when I was showing her how to throw batarang. You know how strong she is?"

"Of course Master Richard, her highness is almost as strong as a Kryptonian."

"That's right Alfred. Anyway, we had a little accident with one of the batarangs, she ... broke something."

"Oh my, Master Bruce won't be amused. What was it that was damaged?"

Robin gestured to Alfred to follow him and led him to the far side of the Batcave where he pointed at the Batmobile, which had a batarang embedded in its supposedly indestructible windshield. Alfred laughed at the sight.

"I shall replace it immediately. Master Bruce will be none the wiser."

* * *

Jinx was tapping her foot impatiently in the courthouse hallway. She along with Raven, Beast Boy and Cyborg were waiting outside the judge's office to have the very brief wedding ceremony performed. She had called her boyfriend, Kid Flash, over her Titan's communicator a whole minute ago. He said that he was at their apartment in Central City at the time told her he would be there in a 'flash'. She had winced at his bad pun, he was worse than Beast Boy, she thought to herself.

"Where the hell is he?" She grumbled.

"Relax Jinx." Raven reassured her. "You only called him a minute ago."

Just as Raven finished speaking Wally showed up, in his usual supersonic fashion. He was carrying a pizza box.

"Don't tell me you went to New York to get a pizza!" Jinx growled at her boyfriend.

"New York? Why would I go to New York for deep dish pizza? I went to Chicago! Anybody want some?"

Jinx slapped her hand against her forehead.

"I already told you that were all going out for a fancy lunch after the ceremony, and since you're late you're buying!" She hissed.

"Ok, so you guys don't mind if I finish the pizza by myself?" He asked.

"I'll have a slice." Cyborg spoke up. Jinx gave him a death glare.

"On second thought, I don't want to spoil my appetite." The Tin man replied as he slowly backed away.

"Oh well, more for me." Wally said gleefully.

Jinx glared at her beau.

"Can't you think of anything besides food? Raven and Beast Boy are getting married!"

Before Jinx finished speaking Wally had polished off the entire pizza, which he devoured at super human speed.

"What'd you say Jinx? I couldn't hear you while I was chewing."

Beast Boy hid behind Raven as he saw TWO veins throb on Jinx's forehead.

"THAT DOES IT WALLY! WE'RE THROUGH! I don't know what I ever saw in you. You're an oaf who can't stop eating or thinking about food. You know why I asked you to come? I was hoping you would get a clue, but now I see that WAS TOO MUCH TO EXPECT FROM YOU!"

Kid Flash tossed the now empty pizza box into a nearby trash can. Then with no warning he dropped onto a knee and produced a small ring box, which he popped open exposing a dazzling ring.

"Actually I was in New York when you called, at Tiffany's." He smiled.

"So what do you say Jinxie?"

* * *

Sorry for the missing spearators (I just added them). Please review!

I'm almost done with the final chapter of Wild Man, still working on the epilogue.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

Robin stretched as he woke up. He had forgotten how comfortable the beds were in the Mansion. The alarm clock on the nightstand informed him that it was almost noon. The six hours of sleep had hit the spot and he felt quite refreshed and was ready to face whatever the day would throw in his direction, including the patrol he and Starfire would perform that night as Robin and Batgirl.

But there things to do before nightfall. First he would visit Babs in the hospital, with Starfire in tow as Batgirl. Bruce was eager to begin the deception and they would be making their first public appearance in broad daylight at the hospital. After that they would head to Gotham Cemetery where Jason's funeral was going to be held.

It was then that Robin sensed that he was not alone in the room. Alarmed and now fully awake he bolted from the bed, clad only in his boxers and a T-shirt. He quickly adopted a fighting stance as he visually scanned the room, searching for the intruder.

But he found none.

He briefly relaxed as he lowered his hands from their fighting stance. It was then that he heard the soft sound of snoring. His gaze snapped back to his bed and he recoiled in shock at what he saw.

Starfire was asleep in his bed. She had eventually learned the proper way of resting on an Earth bed and no longer slept with her head dangling at the foot of the bed, and was instead resting in the conventional manner: under the covers and with her head resting on the pillow.

Such a domestic scene would have elicited a sigh of contentment from most young men, but Richard Grayson wasn't like most young men.

"Star! Wake up!"

The alien princess woke up almost instantly and sat up in the bed. She was wearing a pink 'Hello Kitty' nightgown and she smiled as she stretched.

"Greetings my beloved. Was your slumber refreshing?"

Robin had a look of panic in his unmasked eyes.

"Star, you gotta get out of here and go back to your room! Now!"

The Tamaranian pouted as she answered.

"Have I offended you my boyfriend?" She asked in a worried tone. "Did you not enjoy my company while we slumbered?"

Robin regained his composure somewhat.

"No Star, I'm not offended. I actually like it, or would like it except for where we are." He explained.

"I do not understand Richard, is there something wrong with this room? I thought that the bed was very comfortable."

Robin began to panic again.

"Of course there's something wrong with this room. It's in Wayne Manor!"

Starfire looked puzzled.

"I do not understand Richard. How does the room's location make it unacceptable for us to slumber together?"

Robin was already leading her back to the door that connected the rooms.

"You don't understand Star! If Alfred or Bruce find out that I took a girl to my room and slept with her, I'm dead meat on a stick."

"You mean you would be in trouble?"

"Duh!"

"Richard, please do not speak to me that way."

Robin shrunk back.

"I'm sorry Star, but this is a big deal. You just don't understand."

The girl smiled.

"But Richard, you did not 'bring a girl to your room'. I came by myself after you had already fallen asleep."

Still leading her to her room he replied.

"I know that, but Alfred would never believe it." He said as he led her through the door back into her room.

_Oh crap!_

"What would I never believe?" Alfred replied as he was tidying up Starfire's room.

Robin swallowed hard.

"T-t-that nothing happened last night Alfred. Really! Please don't tell Bruce. Please!"

Alfred smiled.

"Do not worry yourself Master Richard; I overheard your entire conversation with her highness. If she said that you were a gentleman last night, then I believe her."

Robin let out a deep sigh.

"Thank you Alfred!"

"Since you are not dressed yet I will serve you your lunch here. After that you must be ready for your appointments this afternoon. They are expecting you at the hospital at 2PM and the funeral will be at 4PM. Master Bruce will be taking you both in the Batmobile."

"Thank you Alfred, I'll go back to my room and get changed into my costume." Robin replied, still nervous as he was aware that he was still only dressed in his underwear."

"I too shall don the costume of the Batgirl."

Alfred bowed to Starfire.

"I will return in a few minutes with your luncheon your highness. Would Dijon mustard suit your taste? I will be serving Roast Beef."

The princess brightened.

"Oh yes Alfred, I am very fond of all forms of mustard."

Alfred exited the room, walking backwards as was the protocol when dealing with royalty of her level, and closed the door before he walked down the hallway back to the kitchen to retrieve their meal. He grinned as he walked.

_Master Richard, you scallywag you._

* * *

The corporate jet landed at Sea-Tac airport 5 hours after flying from Gotham, disgorging its payload of Wayne Corp executives who boarded a limo which whisked them off to their meetings for the day in the greater Seattle area.

Lisa Ashmore was in an especially good mood that day and her performance had been flawless, earning her an uncharacteristic 'atta-girl' from Captain McKenna. Since she had already tidied up the cabin and the jet was ready for its return trip later that afternoon McKenna gave the flight attendant the rest of the morning off.

"Just don't wander off too far." He reminded her. "We aren't scheduled to leave until 5PM, but you how it goes with executives. You never know when they'll be done with their meetings."

Lisa smiled and thanked McKenna before she hopped into a taxi and headed for downtown Seattle. After doing the touristy things one does in that town, she finished off with a trip up the Space Needle and a quick lunch.

After she was done with her lunch she saw the she still had plenty of time and decided to stroll around downtown Seattle for a bit before catching a taxi back to the airport. She walked aimlessly around the city center, enjoying the rain free day and spending her time people watching. After about 30 minutes she found herself in front of the local newspaper's headquarters: The Seattle Times. A light bulb went off in her head and she entered the building's lobby and approached the front desk, which was staffed by two men wearing security guard uniforms.

"Hello." She greeted them.

"How can we help you Miss?" The more senior of the two guards asked her.

"I'd like to speak to a reporter."

"May I ask why?" The guard quizzed her.

"I have some interesting news."

"I see." He replied. "Of what sort? I merely ask so I can get you in touch with the right reporter."

"OK, I'll cut to the chase. I know who Batman is."

The younger guard began to snicker.

"Sure you do!" He teased her. "And I know who Superman is."

Lisa scowled at the young man.

"I'm not joking!"

The older guard sized her up, trying to determine whether or not she was a crackpot.

"What's your name miss?"

"Lisa Ashmore."

"Which airline are you with?" He asked, as he scrutinized her uniform for a clue.

She showed him her corporate ID card.

"I'm with Wayne Corp's executive jet division."

He carefully examined her ID card and returned it to her. After a pregnant pause he picked up a handset and punched a few numbers on his console. He then whispered into the phone, after which he hung up.

"Someone will be down to see you Miss Ashmore, please have a seat."

Lisa made her way to a leather couch in the lobby and made herself at home. She didn't have to wait long as a door on the wall behind the security station opened and a very young man emerged. She looked at him with a jaundiced eye. He had to be an intern. She frowned as she wanted a real reporter.

"Miss Ashmore?" He called out into the lobby.

She stood up.

"That's my name, don't wear it out."

He smiled. She though he was kind of cute, if a bit young for her. He didn't look a day older than 18 years.

"Please come with me. My name is Mike Barnett. I'm actually with the city desk, but there was no one from the any other desk available."

Barnett opened the door he had just emerged from with his card key and led Lisa to a small interview room just a few steps from the door.

"Please, have a seat. The security guard says you know who Batman is."

"That's right."

"Do you have proof?" He asked.

"Not on me. It's back in Gotham."

"I see. Would you mind sharing who he is?"

"Before I do, how much is this information worth?"

The young man smiled.

"I'm sorry Miss Ashmore, but we don't pay informants for news. And even if we did, your evidence would have to be bullet proof."

"You're kidding? You won't pay for what is perhaps the best kept secret in America?"

"I'm afraid so Miss Ashmore."

Lisa got up in a huff.

"I'm sorry to have wasted your time, Mr. Barnett."

"So you're not going to tell me who he is." He grinned.

"I don't think so. Now if you'll excuse me I need to catch a taxi. I'm expected at the airport."

As Lisa walked back to the door he called out to her.

"Are you sure you won't tell me?"

As she opened the door she turned around and flipped him off before exiting unceremoniously.

"Have a nice day." He grumbled.

* * *

The judge's office looked the way they appeared on TV shows. It had wall paneling and lots of wooden bookcases full of all sorts of law books and journals. The desk was a large cheery wood affair and there was a portrait of the judge with two of her grandchildren sitting on her lap. She was an attractive woman for her age, slender and her gray hair stood in sharp contrast to her dark African complexion.

"By the authority vested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife."

Jinx stared at the brand new married couple, mesmerized while she unconsciously stroked the huge diamond that adorned her finger. Cyborg was grinning from ear to ear while Wally had a bewildered look on his face.

Judge Marcia Lewis turned to face the changeling.

"Aren't you forgetting something young man?"

Beast Boy gave the judge a confused look.

"You may now kiss the bride." She instructed him.

Beast Boy turned to face his new wife, locking eyes with her. They had never established a telepathic link, like the one Raven once had with Robin, but it wasn't necessary as Raven could read his face like a book. She smiled softly and gave him a very subtle nod. The two came together and exchanged a very chaste and brief kiss.

"Oh honey, you can do better than that!" Judge Lewis admonished the green bridegroom. He cracked a huge smile and Raven reciprocated with a much smaller one. They then wrapped their arms around each other and exchanged a deep and passionate kiss that lasted almost a minute while everyone applauded.

"That's weird." Kid Flash commented to no one in particular.

Jinx was about to elbow him but stopped as she continued to admire her ring.

"What do mean Wally? What's weird?"

"They are." He replied. "I don't think I've ever seen them kiss before, have you? I mean they've been lovers for almost two years and this is the first time I've ever seen them kiss."

"You know Raven. She's very private. I'm surprised she kissed him at all."

"How can they be lovers if she won't even kiss him?"

Jinx shook her head.

"That's only in public. From what I've heard they're a couple of wild weasels behind closed doors."

"They are?"

"Yes Wally, they are. Now we get to take them out to lunch. And you're still buying."

At the sound of lunch Wally's stomach growled.

"I can't believe you're hungry! You ate a whole deep dish pizza just 30 minutes ago!"

"Aw c'mon Jinx. I just ran all the way from New York, via Chicago I might add, to get here on time."

Jinx rolled her eyes.

* * *

Hospital patrons whispered to each other in hushed tones as Batman, flanked by Robin and Batgirl, walked down the hallway. Barbara Gordon's room was easily identified by the guards stationed at her door. The three Batclan members stopped at the door and one of the guards murmured into his radio. Within moments the door opened and they were admitted.

Barbara looked a lot better that day. Her face was clean and her hair was brushed. Her father sat next to her while Harvey Bullock and Renee Montoya were standing guard inside the room. Bullock addressed Robin.

"I never thought I'd say this, but welcome back kid."

Montoya nodded. "So what's it like to be a Titan?"

"It's a lot of responsibility." He replied dryly.

"Hey kid, so any chance any of your Titan pals might come and give us a hand?" Harvey asked. "I've heard that alien girl kicks butt."

Robin sighed. "Sorry Harvey, it's just me, at least for now."

He then turned to Barbara.

"Miss Gordon."

"Robin."

"I'm sorry about what happened to you. I wish there was something I could have done."

She took his hand and squeezed it.

"You have your own city to defend. You must be very proud of the Titans."

"I am. They're a great team."

"I've heard that you're dating the Tamaranian girl."

Robin nodded. "I am."

Barbara smiled as she glanced at 'Batgirl'.

"She's a lucky girl. I wonder if she knows that."

Starfire was tempted to speak up and say 'I'm sure she does', but she knew that her voice was nothing like Barbara's so she remained quiet to not blow her cover.

"Not as lucky as I am." Robin replied. "She's the best."

Starfire had to summon all her willpower to not smile. Batman had told them than not even Bullock or Montoya knew that she was impersonating Batgirl.

"So when are you going home?" He asked.

"Tomorrow." She replied. "But I'm moving into Wayne Manor."

Jim Gordon interrupted.

"Since I can't care for Barbara during her recovery Bruce Wayne has offered to care for her."

Robin glanced at Batman.

"That was very generous of Mr. Wayne." He deadpanned.

"I suppose." The Dark Knight replied. "From what I've heard through the grapevine Mr. Wayne has a job to offer Miss Gordon once she recovers."

"Well that's good news." Robin replied as he turned to Barbara. "I'm sure Mr. Wayne has something interesting for you in mind."

Batman cleared his throat.

"We need to go the funeral now."

Robin and Batgirl nodded and followed the Dark Knight out the door.

"Hey commish, are you coming?" Harvey asked as he and Montoya also headed for the door.

"I'll catch up with you there." He replied. Harvey grabbed the rim of his hat before leaving and Renee nodded as she left, closing the door behind her.

"Well that was weird." Barbara told her father. "Seeing Starfire in my costume. I have to admit, she did a good job. But she has to talk sometime."

"Batman says that she won't stay long. The plan is for Batgirl to retire after the Joker is captured."

Barbara sighed. "Plans don't always work out Dad." She said in a dejected voice.

"Hang in there Barb." He consoled her. "You aren't down for the count, not yet."

Barbara grabbed the remote control and turned on the TV. It was tuned into a TV news channel. The next story caught her eye.

Raven and Beast Boy were in the news.

* * *

I hope you're still entertained with this story. I promise Mr. J will make another appearance soon. And there will be an unexpected encounter on the first patrol. Stay tuned. Next update will be soon.

And thanks for the reviews. I'm really enjoying writing this story and having a lot of fun.

Hinn-Raven – "And that Lisa... wow, she's smarter than she seems, isn't she? Wow, what a snoop, and a greedy person on top. She'd really sell out Gotham's only protection for money, wouldn't she... Wow, I don't like her. Why do I get a feeling that the Joker will come into contact with her soon enough..."

_Lisa is easy to dislike, isn't she?  
_  
Neptuna3 – "Love it! :D"

_Thanks!_

titanfan45 – "Alfred was great as always, especially since he can replace windshields!"

_He is a man of many talents!_

Novus Ordo Seclorum – "Good chapter. It was nice to see that you had a decent amount of fun with it."

_It's the main reason I write. Sometimes I stray out of character, but it's always for fun_

WarriorsFan26 – "Can't wait to keep reading this story"

_I will probably keep the chapter shorter and update more frequently._

Main Source of Annoyance – "AWWWWWWWWWW!"

_I've never been above a good dose of fluff!  
__  
_


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

The funeral had been a depressing affair, as funerals usually were. Jason was to be interred as a 'John Doe'; his true identity was kept secret to keep his relatives safe from any possible revenge from Gotham's cadre of villains. Richard could feel all eyes boring down on him as he stood impassively along with Batman and "Batgirl'. Starfire also looked somber as she stood silently while the police chaplain delivered the eulogy.

Jason was dressed in his Robin costume and Richard noticed that the morticians had done a remarkable job of hiding the hideous wounds that had claimed the second Robin's life. Richard noticed how young the lad was, even younger than he had been when he quit the Batclan and left for Jump City. _Where had the time gone?_ He wondered. He recalled how Starfire and Raven had been young teenagers when he first met them. Now they were both women and Raven was engaged to Beast Boy.

_We used to fight over who got the last slice of pizza, and now we're getting married? _Richard asked himself. He took Starfire's hand and held it tight as the chaplain finished the eulogy.

"Before we commit young Robin's body to cremation I invite you all to step forward for a final farewell."

Richard saw Commissioner Gordon push Barbara's wheelchair up to the casket and the young gazed sadly at the young boy who appeared to be sleeping in it. She patted the casket and mouthed the words "good bye" before moving on followed by Bullock and Montoya who also ran their hands along the mahogany casket.

The three Batclan members where the last to pay their respects. Richard felt Starfire's hand tremble as she looked upon the fallen hero's face. His costume was slightly different from Richard's yet he was still clearly identifiable as the Boy Wonder. He knew what she was thinking: That could have been him in the casket. They had faced many dangers together, he and the Titans, and had more than once stared death in the face and won. But this time it was different. The bad guys only had to get lucky once, and Jason was proof of that.

Batman lingered the longest, staring at the young teen. Finally, after several minutes he closed the lid on the casket.

The funeral was held in a chapel owned by the mortuary. The chapel had a cremation oven and as the casket rolled into the fiery furnace a police honor guard outside fired a salute with their rifles, after which the bag pipes were played. Once the process was complete Jason's ashen remains would be interred in a mausoleum that was reserved for police officers that had fallen in the line of duty.

"Let's go home." The Dark Knight ordered his two companions.

* * *

They returned to the manor and changed into their civilian clothes. Starfire wore her holoring as she knew that Barbara would be arriving soon and would probably be accompanied by Bullock and Montoya. She was beginning to feel irritated at having to be anyone but herself. She would now have to be 'Kori Anders' and she was less than thrilled. She consoled herself in that she would be introduced as Richard's girlfriend.

Barbara arrived as expected with her father and the two detectives. Bullock carried her suit cases in, which Alfred took and whisked away to parts unseen. Bruce led them to one of the many sitting rooms in the manor and Alfred reappeared as if by magic, and began to serve tea and coffee.

Eventually they were done with the pleasantries and Gordon and his two most trusted officers thanked Bruce for his kindness. They said their goodbyes to Barbara and left quietly. Once the others were gone Starfire removed her holoring. The two redheads exchanged glances. The room was silent until Alfred entered the room and broke the silence.

"Dinner is served." He informed them. "I have set the formal dining room to commemorate Miss Gordon's arrival.

Bruce stood up and pushed the wheelchair while Richard and Starfire followed behind. Once they reached the dining room they were seated at the huge table, which could easily accommodate 100 guests. Alfred immediately began to serve some soup and Starfire decided to break the silence.

"Tell us Mr. Wayne, what sort of job will you be offering Barbara?"

Bruce stiffened at the Tamaranians bluntness and directness. Nevertheless he realized that she was now a member of the Batclan, since the day he asked her to be Batgirl.

"Barbara will always be a member of the Batclan, and in spite of her injuries she has many gifts." He turned to Barbara. "I would like to discuss this new role in the Batclan with her first before I share it with you."

Starfire nodded. "Yes Bruce, I understand."

Barbara gave Bruce an inquisitive look.

"You can tell me now Bruce."

"As you wish Barbara." Bruce paused and cleared his throat.

"I want you to be the Batclan's intelligence officer. You've always had a knack for feeling the pulse of the city, for knowing what's happening behind the scenes. I have often relied on Alfred to perform this task, but he has many other duties.'

"So you want me to be a desk jockey Bruce?"

"No Barbara, it's much more than that. You'd be the general manager of the Batclan. You'd have authority over all members of the clan."

Barbara looked surprised.

"Even over you?"

Bruce paused.

"It would be limited. But there will be new clan members in the future, and you would have authority over extended members like Dick and Starfire when they work with us."

Barbara nodded.

"Sure Bruce, I'll do it."

Richard leaned over and kissed Barbara on the cheek.

"You'll be great Babs, I know it."

Alfred interrupted the conversation as he waved a remote control at a TV he had just wheeled into the dining room.

"There is news that might be of interest to her Highness and Master Richard." He said as the TV turned on. It was tuned to the all news channel. The sound came through before the image appeared.

_We now go with our Jump City bureau reporter John Stout. John?_

_**Mike, we have some unexpected Titan news to report. Early this afternoon and with no previous announcement Raven and Beast Boy were married in a simple ceremony at the county courthouse downtown…**_

Starfire and Robin leaped to their feet.

"WHAAAATTT!" She screamed.

"They were supposed to wait until we got back!" Richard shrieked.

Starfire whipped out her Titans communicator and headed for the door.

"Please excuse me friends, but I must give Raven a portion of my brain." She fumed as she stomped out of the dining room.

"Piece of her mind." Richard translated.

Barbara looked stunned.

"She looks pissed!"

"So am I." He replied. "But I think I'll let Star handle this one."

A distant door could be heard slamming shut, no doubt the door to Starfire's room. The sounds of alien shrieks could be heard echoing through the manor. Richard thought he heard the word "klohrbag" shouted amongst the screaming.

* * *

The Joker paced back and forth in the dark warehouse. Harley was standing motionless, with a nervous grin on her face. The clown of crime gave her companion a skeptical look over.

"So you're Harley's friend from Metropolis?"

"That's right clown face."

The Joker frowned. He didn't care for the girl's attitude. Not even if she was as effective as Harley said she was.

"So tell me why you're here in Gotham and why you want to help us?" He asked as he petted one of the hyenas, which along with its counterpart were growling at the stranger.

"I have a score to settle with the bat brat." She replied.

"Oh yes, I remember now, the little minx and Supergirl cleaned your clock out, and Harley and Poison Ivy too." He grinned. "How long were you in jail after that?"

Harley's nervous grin vanished and in an uncharacteristic display of spine she stood up to her "puddin'".

"She got lucky Mr. J. This time Supergirl won't be there to help her."

The Joker chuckled.

"Yes, those Kryptonians can be quite pesky, but don't underestimate the boy blunder. He's the original one you know."

"So I'll be serving bar-b-que bat and bird. What's to worry about?"

The Joker grinned.

"He's a Titan, you know."

"Big whoop." The stranger replied. "When I'm done they won't know what hit 'em."

The Joker's grin expanded.

"I'm not paying you anything, understand?"

She returned his grin.

"Consider this some pro-bono work. Of course once they're out of the way, I'm movin' to Gotham, permanently. I'm done dealing with Kryptonians. The Bat and his brood will be a piece of cake."

"You really thing they will be that easy, don't you kid?"

"Sure, why not? They don't even have any powers!"

The Joker smiled knowingly. He had heard that spiel before.

"Knock yourself out kid. Just don't let them short circuit you."

* * *

Raven was sitting next to her husband on the crescent shaped couch in the common room. Cyborg and Wally were in the kitchen with Jinx and they had forgotten about their food as they watched the scene unfold before them.

Raven stared wide eyed into her communicator's display. Starfire's face was visible on the communicator and even though the sorceress had turned the volume down on the device the alien princess's voice echoed loud and clear throughout the room.

"HOW COULD YOU RAVEN!"

Cyborg was doing his best to hide the grin that was forming on his face. In all his years in the Tower he had never seen Raven get chewed out, not like this.

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY FRIEND!"

"Starfire." She replied meekly. "It's no big deal; it was just a civil ceremony."

"AND YOU EXLUDED ME FROM IT! WHY? ANSWER ME! WHY?"

"I.. I.." She replied, at a loss for words as Beast Boy snatched the communicator from her.

"I wasn't Raven's fault Star, it was mine." He informed her as Raven sighed in gratitude for his brave but foolish confession.

"WHAT!" Starfire screamed, now at him. Amazingly she calmed herself before continuing.

"Why friend Beast Boy? Am I being punished for something? Why did you and Raven get married without my presence?"

The Changeling sighed. "Because I was a jerk Star. I didn't want to wait any longer."

Beast Boy's face suddenly fell.

"Oh Star, please don't cry, please!"

The Tamaranians sobs could be heard around the room.

"I thought I was your friend Beast Boy …" She choked between sobs.

Beast Boy looked at Raven, who herself looked uncharacteristically frazzled. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Star." He continued. "I'll make it up to you …"

"We'll make it up to you." Raven corrected him. "Just say it and we'll do it."

"Anything?" She asked.

The Logans gulped before answering.

"Starfire, how about we come over to Gotham for a few hours to discuss this with you?" Raven asked. "I can teleport both Gar and I there in a few minutes."

"You would do that for me friends?" Starfire asked, her voice full of hope.

"Sure Star." Beast Boy replied.

The princess had wiped away her tears. "Can you come over now?"

Beast Boy glanced at Raven, who nodded.

"Sure, now's as good a time as any, right?"

The Tamaranian beamed. "I will let Richard know you are coming."

The Logans sighed. They had already forgotten about the Boy Wonder. What would they tell him?

"We'll be there in a few minutes Starfire." Raven replied. Beast Boy closed her communicator and handed it back to her.

"You're in charge until we get back Cy." The changeling informed the tin man. "And don't let Wally eat all the food."

The bionic boy laughed.

"Fat chance I'll let that happen."

* * *

"Maybe you should check on her." Barbara asked Richard. "She stopped shouting almost 15 minutes ago.

Bruce sat at the head of the table, with a disapproving look on his face.

"Now do you understand why team romances are a bad idea?"

"Just lay off Bruce, I have enough problems already. I don't need you breathing down my neck."

He turned to Barbara. "You're right, it's time I check up on her."

Before Richard was able to get up the door to the dining room opened and Starfire emerged through the opening, followed by Raven and Beast Boy.

"What are you doing here?" Richard asked them abruptly.

"It's nice to see you too Dick." Raven replied in her monotone. She looked at the occupant at the head of the table.

"You must be Mr. Wayne. It's a pleasure to meet you at last." She continued to drone.

Bruce examined her critically. Zatanna had once warned him to never trust Raven because she was half demon. After a long pause he replied.

"The pleasure is mine, Mrs. Logan."

As soon as he finished Alfred entered the room.

"Sir, it's the Batwave. There's a report of an electrical disturbance downtown."

"Electrical?" Beast Boy asked. "I thought Overload was still locked up in Jump City prison."

Alfred looked mildly surprised as he noticed that Beast Boy and Raven were in the room. He put 2+2 together and continued.

"Not Overload, young Mr. Logan, I'm afraid that it's Livewire."

"Livewire?" Richard interrupted. "She's based in Metropolis. What's she doing here?"

"She's probably come back to get even with Batgirl." Batman replied. He turned to Starfire and Richard.

"Get into your costumes and meet me in the Batcave. Starfire, I'll brief you about Barbara's encounter with Livewire once you've changed into your costume. Alfred, please bring Barbara down to the Batcave."

"Yes, Master Bruce."

Bruce then turned to the Logans.

"Are you interested in helping? I know that the Joker is behind this, it's too big a coincidence that Livewire just showed up now."

Raven and Beast Boy looked each other in the eyes and after a split second they turned back to Bruce.

"Yes, you can count on us Mr. Wayne." Raven replied.

"Good, follow me."

* * *

Raven had to reach over and lift her husband's jaw to close his mouth as they entered the Batcave.

"Whoa" He whispered in awe and reverence as Raven rolled her eyes.

"Gar, he's nothing more than an overgrown version of Robin." She whispered back at him. "I will admit that I used to believe that it was impossible to be more anal-retentive than Robin, but I think I've been proven wrong. At least now we know where Bird Boy learned to be such a jerk."

"I hear you babe."

"Don't call me that Gar. You can call me Rae, but don't call me 'babe'."

"Sorry Rae. So are we really going to do what Starfire asked?"

"Do we have a choice?"

He sighed. "I guess not. Damn it Rae, this is gonna be worse than if we had just waited for them to come back."

Raven sighed back. "We should have thought of that at the time. It's too late now."

The Logans were waiting alone in the Batcave as Bruce had gone off to change into his costume. While they were waiting they heard footsteps coming down the same stairs they had just descended minutes before. The turned around and saw Robin accompanied by …

Batgirl?

"Robin, where's Starfire?" Raven asked.

Batgirl waved her hand and smiled.

"I am here Raven. I am the fake Batgirl."

Raven arched one of her eyebrows while Beast Boy's jaw dropped a second time.

Robin spoke up.

"She's a decoy so no one figures out that Barbara was Batgirl." He paused. "Star just told me about what you guys agreed to do. Are you sure you want to do that?"

Starfire gave Robin a frown that could be seen clear through her cowl.

"Do you disapprove Robin?"

"Of course not Star, but do you really think it's necessary?"

"Raven and Beast Boy both agreed, and I think it is a glorious idea."

"But …" He began but was interrupted as Barbara Gordon wheeled herself out of the elevator, followed by a protesting Alfred.

"Miss Gordon! Your injuries have not healed yet! You should allow me to assist you until then.

Barbara smiled, but she looked tired. Raven stepped forward.

"I can't heal your nervous system damage Barbara, but I can heal some of you flesh wounds."

Barbara was familiar with Raven's healing powers.

"Sure Raven, that would be great."

As Raven began to heal Barbara's remaining wounds Batman emerged from the shadows. He walked up to a holographic-projector and turned it on. A 3D image of Livewire appeared.

"Her real name is Leslie Willis …. "

* * *

I'll bet your wonder what Raven and Beast Boy agreed to do to pacify Starfire, aren't you? Well, you're going to have to wait to find out.

And in case you're wondering what happened to Lisa Ashmore, don't worry, I haven't forgotten about here.

You guys were a little stingy with the reviews last time. I guess I've be spoiled with all the reviews I got for "The Wild Man's Journey". Maybe BBxRae are an easier sell than RobStar stories. What do you think?


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

The buildings looked all the same to her, their Gothic styles blending into each other as the sleek black car speed down the city streets, dodging other cars as it wove its way through the old, narrow downtown roadways. The driver expertly guided the car as Starfire sat alone in the single back seat. Even though she had never driven an automobile herself she could tell that Batman was an expert driver, far better than Cyborg or even Robin. She also noticed that Robin was used to the Batman's driving style, which involved countless near accidents that the Dark Knight avoided as Robin never even flinched every time a collision was barely avoided. She on the other hand had to summon her willpower to not scream every time.

She looked up, enviously, through the transparent canopy at Raven and Beast Boy, who were flying above them standing on one of Raven's black disks. She noticed, again with jealousy, that they were holding hands which surprised her, as she had never seen them hold hands in the common room, much less in public.

She suddenly felt the Batmobile decelerate and come to a stop. The canopy popped open after which Batman and Robin leaped out of the car. User her superhuman strength she jumped up and out of the car's cockpit, performing a very Batgirl like double flip in the air before landing on her in a fighting stance. Raven brought her flying disk down beside the fake Batgirl and stepped off it.

"Show off." She chided the princess.

Beast Boy's animal senses were working overtime as the changeling glanced around, his ears twitching while he sniffed the air. The signs of battle already waged were around them: charred police cars, downed electric wires. The three Batclan members also scanned the scene around them, but Livewire was nowhere to be found.

"Where are the cops?" Robin asked no one in particular. "And where's Livewire?"

"The coward must have fled the scene." An indignant Starfire growled. "And look at all the destruction."

"No Sta … Batgirl." Beast Boy contradicted her. "She's hiding nearby. I can feel it."

"So can I." Raven added as the electric villainess emerged from a nearby fallen power cable, first in pure electric form, then in her signature humanoid figure wearing her black leotard and boots, materializing right in front of the Logans.

"Who're you supposed to be? Goth Girl and Broccoli Boy?" She sneered at them as her hands began to build a powerful electric charge. "It doesn't matter cuz you'll need new names after I fry you!"

A lightning bolt leaped from her right hand as Beast Boy shoved Raven out of harm's way just as he began to morph into an electric eel. The electric discharge was formidable but the eel was able to absorb it. It did overwhelm him and a stunned but uninjured changeling returned to his human form.

"So that's what your power is! I know who you are! You're that green freak from Jump City."

The cocky villainess suddenly found herself caught by one of Batman's spinning bolo ropes, which wrapped itself tightly around her. She glanced towards Batman.

"Come and get me Bats!" She taunted him. "Your little rope won't hold me for long!"

She then heard a martial arts yell from the other direction. She turned just in time to see Raven's heel connect with her jaw as the sorceress had executed a textbook flying side kick. Livewire fell to the ground as Raven pummeled the villainess with her fists.

"My husband is not a freak!" She shouted as she continued to strike her viciously while she sat on top of the electrical woman. Livewire's body began to shimmer and Raven was thrown from her, stunned by the power electrical discharge. Beast Boy managed to catch her before she hit the ground, as she was out cold. Livewire got back onto her feet and tasted a metallic flavor in her mouth, which she wiped with the back of her hand. She looked at it and saw the blood.

"You'll pay for that witch! But where's the Bat brat?" She said as she became airborne. "I have some unfinished business with her."

"Give it up Livewire, we've got you outnumbered!" Robin yelled.

Livewire turned in the direction of Robin's voice, and saw Batgirl standing next to him.

"Out of the way Boy Blunder! I have a score to settle with her."

"Sorry to disappoint you Livewire, but we're a team. We don't step aside for anyone!"

"Is that so?" She sneered as a loud referee's whistle was heard. It was Harley Quinn, the Joker's moll and henchwoman and she had 3 huge burley thugs with mime faces with her.

"Larry, Curly, Moe, get them!"

"Let me at 'em, let me at 'em!" The biggest goon, obviously the one named 'Curly' shouted as he charged at them.

Raven had already reawakened and Beast Boy was helping her to her feet.

"You gotta be kidding me? His goons are named are name after the Three Stooges?" She moaned as she lifted her hand, trapping the overeager 'Curly' in her dark energy, sending him flying into a dumpster.

Harley retreated to the shadows as the other two goons engaged Batman and Robin.

"Puddin'" Harley said in an anxious voice. "The witch girl is here. I don't like this."

"Hang on Harl, let's see how Miss Batteries Not Included fares against them."

Livewire meanwhile remained fixated on Batgirl.

"Honey, you don't know how long I've waited for this!"

A lightning storm emerged from her fingers and headed straight for Starfire. With her superhuman reflexes she dodged the first volley, which was harmlessly absorbed into the ground. A second volley soon followed and a third, but Starfire continued to somersault out of harm's way, much to Livewire's frustration.

"How'd you get so fast Bat brat? You can't run away forever you know?"

Starfire landed on her feet and with a fluid motion threw a batarang at the electric girl. The weapon flew with inhuman speed but it bounced off the electric field that surrounded the villain.

"Sorry baby! You're gonna have to do better than … AUGH!"

The battlefield scene was paused as Livewire's shriek pierced the air. Everyone turned to see what had happened. What they saw was that the mistress of electricity was lying on the ground in a puddle of water as a green elephant continued to douse her with water it shot from its trunk.

Harley and the Joker continued to observe from the shadows.

"Well that was a bust. I've seen people booed of the stage at the Ha-Ha-Hacienda on Open Mike night who were more successful than her." He said as he shook his head. "Are you sure she gave Superman a run for his money?"

"I knew the Titans were bad news Mistah J. What do we do now?"

"We make a graceful retreat Harley, what else?"

Harley nodded and once again blew her whistle, this time in two short bursts. The goons immediately backed off and began to retreat, one of them collecting the still unconscious Livewire.

"Titans! Don't let them escape!" Robin shouted as he and Batgirl began to give chase, followed by Batman and the Logans.

"Sorry to fight and run Bats." The Joker shouted from somewhere unseen. "But my new toy needs to have her batteries replaced!"

As the Joker's maniacal laugh was heard several small marble like objects were thrown through the air and landed on the ground, where they exploded leaving a green gas in their wake.

Everyone recognized the threat and pulled their gas masks out of their utility belts. Batman had given Beast Boy and Raven each a smaller belt that contained a few defensive items and they both removed their own gas masks from the belts as the noxious green "Joker Gas" was already swirling around them. Beast Boy quickly slapped his onto his face, but then watched in horror as Raven fumbled and dropped hers on the ground. As she bent over to pick it up while holding her breath another volley of the Joker's trick marbles landed in their vicinity. These were miniature grenades and the shock wave of the explosion knocked Raven over. She hit the ground hard, uninjured, but failed to hold her breath. A single dose of the green gas was all that was needed. Raven tried to stand up but began to laugh. Her husband could see the look of panic on her face as she fell to ground, laughing uncontrollably. Beast Boy, still wearing his mask, ran to her side.

"Batman!" He shouted out. "Raven needs help!"

* * *

It was ladies' night at the nightclub, which meant that the young woman wouldn't have to pay to get in and drinks were half off. She had been there since the club had opened for the evening and now three hours later the crowds were starting to show up. It was a one of Gotham's largest discos; a place where you could go and be perfectly anonymous.

It had been another bad day for the young woman; at least it had started that way. She usually came here to pick up a one night stand. She had always had trouble with long lasting relationships; there was something about her personality that always scared guys away after the first date. Eventually she stopped caring and began to "collect" guys, especially cute ones. That had been easier when she was younger but now that she was in her early 30's she was finding it difficult to pick up guys that didn't gross her out. But tonight she had been hit below the belt, as a guy who she had begun to chat up rejected her less than chaste offer, and she was wearing her "skank" dress, which never had failed her before

_No offense ma'am, but I'm not into cougars. You know what though? You might want to try to lose some weight; it might make you look younger._

The words were still burning in Lisa Ashmore's ears. But she knew the young man was right, she was past her prime years, and she had nothing to show for it. The way things were going she would soon be settling for fat middle aged bald guys. Her only consolation was that she had avoided catching an STD in the process.

To add insult to injury no one at the Gotham Globe took her claim that she knew who Batman was seriously. She even showed the city desk reporter her pictures. He laughed.

_You gotta be kidding! That one's been PhotoShopped. Come back when you have real proof._

Lisa Ashmore was so inwardly focused that she didn't hear the voice call out to her over the pounding music. It wasn't until she felt a tap on her shoulder that she snapped out of her funk.

"Earth to Lisa!" A familiar voice called out to her. "LISA!"

The despondent flight attendant looked up and saw a familiar face. It was a young woman she meet in the bar hopping scene some years ago. She was a red head and even though she was a little older than Lisa she looked much younger. Her name was Heather and she and Lisa had been prowling together for young men for quite a few years now.

"Hey Heather." She replied in a melancholic voice.

"What's the matter girl? You're look extra gloomy tonight."

Lisa picked up her martini and drank it in a single gulp.

"Some jerk said I was old and fat."

"Screw him!" Heather said as she dismissed the now absent youngster with a wave of her hand. "Were you able to sell your pictures to the Globe?"

Lisa shook her head.

"Well that's fine, cuz I found someone who is interested in them."

"Really Heather?" Lisa asked, unable to hide the excitement in her voice. "Who? Is it a reporter?"

"She is. I met her at the Stacked Deck. She says she works for the New York Times, and that she'll pay you $300,000 if you can convince her that your proof is legit."

"Heather! That's awesome! What's her name?"

"She said she's Harleen Quinzel."

Lisa raised an eyebrow.

"That's a funny name. It sounds familiar though. So how do I get in touch with her?"

"We'll meet her at the stacked deck tomorrow at 10 PM."

Lisa grinned from ear to ear.

"It's about time I caught a break!"

* * *

Batman hurried to Raven's side and none too soon. The gray sorceress was laughing so hard that her husband was afraid she was going to cough up a lung. Without saying a word Batman produced a syringe and filled it with the antitoxin. As he primed the needle he murmured to himself.

"Let's hope the Joker doesn't have a new formula."

The Dark Knight leaned over Raven's prone but shaking form. He turned to Beast Boy.

"Hold your wife down. She can't move while I inject her."

Beast Boy obliged the Dark Knight's request and once Raven was immobilized he injected the antidote directly into a vein in her neck. Almost instantly Raven's laughter began to subside. Soon she stopped laughing altogether and wrapped her arms around Beast Boy.

"We were lucky this time." The Dark Knight announced. "We weren't ready to face them. We could have lost Raven in the process." He said in a solemn voice as slowly walked back to the Batmobile. "And we're not going to lose anyone else, not if I can help it."

Starfire approached Raven as Beast Boy once again helped her get back on her feet.

"Raven, are you OK?" She asked.

"She needs to rest." Batman replied. "Beast Boy, can you get your wife back to the Batcave?"

Beast Boy nodded. "Sure, it's dark now, so no one will see me flying back if I become a pterosaur."

Batman nodded at the green changeling who morphed into a flying dinosaur. Raven feebly crawled onto his back and he flew off into the night, disappearing in the darkness. Starfire took Robin's hand and squeezed it.

"I do not like this Joker Robin."

He squeezed her hand back.

"Trust me Star, nobody does."

* * *

And here is a Sunday night special. I hope you like it.

And thanks for the reviews. They are always appreciated.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

The ride back to the Batcave was a quiet one. As always Bruce piloted the Batmobile at breakneck speed, carving up the streets in the urban canyon that was downtown Gotham. Starfire was sitting morosely in the back seat, worried for her gray friend.

"Will friend Raven fully recover from the Joker's evil gas Batman?" She asked suddenly with no warning.

Batman did not reply and instead make a sharp turn into dead end alleyway, without slowing down. Starfire saw the brick wall at the alley's end rapidly approach and she clenched her teeth. She knew that the Batman would not crash his signature car on purpose, yet the bricks in the ooming wall looked quite solid. As the Batmobile passed the point of no return she saw the wall open up, revealing a long tunnel.

"This is not the way we came out, is it Robin?" She asked, again breaking the silence. This time she did get a response.

"There are several entrances to the Batcave." He replied as the Batmobile hurled down the tunnel. Soon she saw lights ahead and knew they were approaching the cave. The Batmobile barreled in and came to a screeching halt in its usual parking spot. In the distance she could see Beast Boy and Alfred standing around a hospital bed, which had its back raised in a sitting position. Beast Boy moved over and she could see Raven dressed in a hospital gown with an oxygen mask on her face and an IV in her arm.

No sooner than had Batman opened the canopy she flew out of the car's passenger compartment and made a beeline to Raven's side.

"Friend, oh my dear friend Raven! Are you unharmed?"

Raven nodded. Alfred closed a valve on an oxygen tank as Batman and Robin approached.

"I have completed the detoxification process your Highness. All remnants of the Joker gas have been neutralized and removed from Mrs. Logan's bloodstream. The electric discharge she received has left a mild after effect however. Nothing a good night's sleep won't remedy." He said as he removed the oxygen mask from Raven's face.

"Thank you Alfred. I can see now that Bruce is in good hands." Raven replied.

"Do not mention it Mrs. Logan. It was my pleasure to assist you."

Starfire let out a smile of relief as she removed her cowl. Robin handed her a box of baby wipes, which she used to removed the flesh toned make up that concealed her orange Tamaranian complexion.

Batman silently approached the assembled group. "So what did we do wrong?" He asked his informal team.

"We weren't prepared for the Joker Gas." Beast Boy replied.

"Yes Beast Boy, that is correct, but why did that happen?" The Dark Knight asked. "You were all properly trained before we left. What happened?"

"I let my personal feelings get the best of me." Raven replied. "I should never have lost my temper when she insulted Gar."

"Thank you Raven." Batman replied. "That is the correct answer, unfortunately."

"I'm sorry Bruce. It won't happen again." She said in a contrite voice.

"What happened Raven?" Robin asked. "If anyone on the team can control their emotions, it's you."

Raven sighed. "I'm used to having insults tossed my way. I wish I had a dollar for every time someone has insulted me. I've been called: Goth, witch, demon and other things that are even worse. I won't pretend that those words didn't hurt, especially when they came from the people that I risk my life to protect. But I learned to deal with it."

"But?" Batman interjected.

"Well…" She continued. "Gar has also been the recipient of similar insults over the years. He's always been able to hide his pain, but being an empath I always felt his pain as he couldn't hide it from me. I've become very protective of Gar these past two years, but I always kept my cool when someone insulted him. I guess seeing Livewire's arrogant, smug sneer pushed me over the edge. It won't happen again, I promise Bruce."

Bruce removed his cowl as he replied.

"Very well Raven. I think you should go and get that rest that Alfred prescribed for you."

"Bruce!" Barbara called from her wheelchair as she sat in front of the mainframe computer console. "I think I might have a clue as to where the Joker is hiding."

Batman and Robin approached the console.

"What is it Barbara?"

As her fingers danced across the keyboard a map of the deserted warehouse district appeared on the screen, with a city block highlighted.

"I have been able to trace several chemical shipments to this address. According to city records it's not only supposed to be unoccupied, it's also slated for demolition."

"Great work Babs!" Robin congratulated her with a kiss on the cheek. "You're like our own personal oracle!"

"Oracle!" Barbara beamed. "I like that! Can I use that?"

"Well done Barbara. I'll go and do some recon work while all of you rest. Robin, stay here. I want to talk with you in private."

Beast Boy picked up Raven's cape and draped it over her, covering the ever present hospital gown slit down her back. They wished everyone a good night. They were followed by Starfire in her Batgirl costume and by Barbara who deftly navigated her wheelchair to the elevator where she was joined by Starfire.

Now alone, the original dynamic duo began their confab.

"So what do you want to talk about Bruce?"

Bruce cleared his throat before replying.

"Now do you see why I don't approve of team romances? Raven's feelings for Beast Boy could have proven fatal."

"I'm not going to argue with you Bruce. But they're married now. What do you want me to do? Make them get a divorce?"

"I know, it's too late for them. Anyway, they make a good couple, in their own weird way."

Robin chucked. "You can say that again."

Bruce sighed. "So what about you and the princess?"

"What about us?" Robin asked defensively.

"Are you serious about her? Or is this just a fling?"

Robin peeled his mask off and scowled at Bruce.

"What do you think?"

"You tell me. You've been dating her off and on for three years now. It's no secret that she's head over heels for you. But what about you?"

Richard hesitated before answering.

"I guess I am pretty serious about her."

"How serious?"

"Very serious." He replied deadpan.

"I certainly hope so. I know you two slept together last night."

Robin gasped. "What? How? When did you …" He paused and then looked very indignant.

"I never laid a finger on her!" He snarled.

"Like you never laid a finger on Barbara."

"IS THERE ANYTHING YOU DON'T KNOW?" He roared. He then calmed himself before continuing.

"That was between me and Babs." He growled. "You don't have any right to bring that up. And just so you know, I HAVE NEVER LAID A FINGER ON STARFIRE!"

"You really respect her, don't you?"

"DUH! Of course I do!"

Bruce walked over to a desk and opened a drawer.

"She is an alien…"

"So what?"

He retrieved a small box from the drawer.

"You might not be able to have children."

"Does it matter?"

Bruce smiled the first time that night.

"I suppose not." He said as he handed the small box to Richard.

"You might as well give this to her, especially if you're planning on more slumber parties."

Richard opened the small box and gasped at its contents, it was a solitaire with the most dazzling and perfect emerald he had ever seen.

"Alfred brought it out of storage the other day. It was my great grandmother's engagement ring."

"Bruce…" Richard said, clearly at a loss for words.

"Go ahead Dick. Give it to her. You know you want to."

Richard nodded his head, clearly overwhelmed by it all.

"Thanks Bruce. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Actually, I do." He replied. "I do."

* * *

Lisa entered her apartment with a big grin on her face.

_300 grand! I'll be able to get the hell out of this grubby town once and for all. And tell Michael McKenna to stick where the sun doesn't shine._

She kicked off her shoes as she poured herself a scotch on the rocks, which she drank in a single gulp. She poured herself a second one and sat down in front of her TV, which she turned on just in time to catch the late news just after it had started.

" … _Batman, Robin and Batgirl teamed up with two of Robin's Jump City teammates, the sorceress known as Raven and the green changeling called Beast Boy in a battle against the Joker's henchmen and the Metropolis supervillain Livewire. The Joker was not spotted at the scene of the crime, but his henchwoman, Harleen Quinzel, better known by her crime alias Harley Quinn, was reported to have been sighted at the scene …." _

Lisa's heart skipped a few beats.

_Did he just say what I thought he said?_

She backed up the DVR and played the blurb a second time.

"…_Harleen Quinzel, better known by her crime alias Harley Quinn…"_

Lisa dropped her glass on the floor. She frantically rummaged through her purse until she found her mobile phone. She was barely able to navigate through the address book as her hands were now trembling. She eventually found the name she was looking for and pressed the 'Send' button.

_Answer dammit! Answer!_

"Hello?" A voice answered. "What's up Lisa? Why are you calling so late? I thought you had an early flight tomorrow."

"Heather! Heather shut up and listen to me! Please tell me you didn't tell this Harleen who I am. Please tell me you didn't give her my name."

"Lisa, what's wrong? Are you OK?"

"Just tell me dammit!" She screamed into her phone.

"Lisa, calm down. Yeah, I told her. What's the big deal?"

Lisa began to freak out.

"Oh my God, oh my God! I'm dead! We're both dead!"

"Lisa! What are you talking about?"

"YOU IDIOT!" Lisa screamed. "Harleen Quinzel isn't a reporter with the New York Times! She's Harley Quinn, the Joker's henchwoman!"

There was a prolonged period of silence.

"Heather! Are you still there?"

"Lisa." She sobbed. "What are we going to do?"

"We go to the police, right now!"

"They're not gonna believe us Lisa, not for a second! What are we gonna do?"

Lisa mind began to race as panic consumed her. She took a deep breath and calmed herself.

"I have an idea…"

* * *

Alfred had left a fresh set of sleep ware for the Logans, and had already prepared their bed for them, including turning down the bed and leaving each one of them a Godiva chocolate on their pillow. They slipped their flannels on, in Raven's case it was a nightgown and in Beast Boy's case it was a simple pair of striped pajamas. As soon as they had changed they slipped into bed, sighing in relief that the arduous and terrifying day was over.

Raven rested her head on his shoulder and slipped her hand underneath his pajama top as she began to gently caress his chest.

"Dude, what a day! And I thought we were just gonna apologize to Star and go home."

"Yeah." She replied sleepily "So did I."

"So what now Rae? Are we gonna stay here until they catch the Joker?"

She sighed in reply. "I don't know Gar. I'm getting mixed vibes from Bruce."

"Me too." He replied. "He's one weird dude. It sure explains a lot about Robin."

She shook her head. "No, he isn't his normal self. Dick's right, Jason's death really has unnerved him. At times I feel hostility from him and at times it's the opposite."

Beast Boy chuckled. "Well, at least Dick isn't completely stupid."

"You mean because he slept with Starfire last night?"

He snickered. "They didn't do anything, but they were together next door." His ears twitched and he snickered. "She's in there again."

Raven smiled and let an uncharacteristic chuckle escape her lips.

"I can sense that he's very nervous about something."

"Bruce probably chewed him out."

"That wouldn't surprise me. But that's not what I'm sensing, Is he ever going to pop the question to her Gar?"

Suddenly they could hear Starfire's screams penetrate through the wall.

"Yes, Yes, YES!"

The Logans exchanged surprised looks with each other.

"I accept Richard! I accept!"

"About time." They said to each other in unison.

Beast Boy grinned.

"You think she'll forget about our 'agreement' now?".

"Not likely. Say, they got very quiet all of sudden."

"Yeah, you're right Rae. I wonder what they're up to." He said as he wagged his eyebrows, with a big grin on his face.

Raven peeled her nightgown off and tossed it on the floor.

"Beats me Gar, but I don't intend to let them have all the fun tonight. Do you?"

"No way!" He replied with an even bigger grin as he tossed his pajamas on the floor and turned off the light.

* * *

A little naughtiness to close the chapter. Keep the reviews coming and I'll keep updating. Deal?

What will Lisa and Heather do to stay away from Harley? Stay tuned.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

The two mime faced goons dragged the still unconscious girl into the warehouse, following their green haired boss and his harlequin moll. She was limp and each goon had one of her arms draped over a shoulder while her feet dangled mid air and her head was slumped. They plopped her down on a huge bean bag with Bozo the clown's face painted on it, laying her down so the she was facing the ceiling. The clown of crime paced around her, examining her carefully before he stopped and bent over.

"Wakey, wakey Missie."

She did not stir. He patted her face firmly.

"Time to wake up!"

Nothing.

"Well! It looks like Beast Boob and Ray Bans did a number on her. Either that or she forgot to pay her electric bill."

"Aw, she'll be OK Mistah J."

The Joker scratched his chin.

"So how do we wake her up Harl? With jumper cables and an old car battery?"

"Actually, that's not a bad idea." A groggy voice interrupted.

"Would ya settle for an extension cord?"

"Beggars can't be choosers Harl." Livewire said as she sat up. The first thing she saw was the Joker frowning at her as Harley handed her a heavy duty extension cord, from which she immediately began to draw electric current.

"Ah, that's the good stuff." She moaned as she rubbed her head with her free hand. "Don't give me that look. So the two freaks caught me off guard. I'll be recharged soon enough. It won't happen again."

"You're right it won't. We're getting some help, real help." The Joker replied.

"I can take care of them!" She protested.

"Pshaw! You couldn't even handle the Bat brat! Your aim leaves a lot to be desired, you know?"

Livewire leaped to her feet.

"I don't get it. She wasn't that fast last time."

"Well she is now sweetheart. And now we have a pair of Titans to deal with as well." He tapped his chin with his index finger. "We need some muscle, but whom?"

"How about Killer Croc puddin'?"

The Joker casually dismissed the suggestion with a wave of his hand.

"Nah! The changeling can easily out croc him."

"How about the Mad Hatter?"

"Hmm... interesting, but he's in Arkham and I'm not busting anyone out of there. It's too well guarded ."

"What about the Penguin?"

"He's too busy running that stupid nightclub of his."

"The Riddler?" Harley suggested.

"Even if Batman couldn't figure out his riddles, which he can, the witch would be able to. No, he's not the right one either."

"How about Poison Ivy?" Livewire offered.

Harley spun around to face the electric girl and made a slitting throat motion with her hand.

"What's wrong with Ivy?" Livewire protested. "She kicks butt."

"Mr. J and Red don't exactly get along." Harley explained nervously. "In fact they hate each other."

"That we do Harley." The Joker chuckled. "But we both hate the Bat even more. Why don't you get in touch with her and extend my invitation to her."

Harley beamed.

"Sure thing puddin'. I'll go find her tomorrow after I go to the Stacked Deck."

"The Stacked Deck?" He replied with a hint of disgust. "What are you going to that dump for?"

Livewire snorted. "This place ain't exactly the Ritz-Carlton Mr. Funny Face."

The Joker glared at Livewire before returning his attention to Harley.

"Well?"

"Some flight attendant claims she knows who the Bat is. I'm meeting her at the Stacked Deck tomorrow night."

"What makes you think she's gonna show up?" Livewire asked.

"I offered her 300 grand."

"THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS! You offered her 300 grand! I don't have 300 grand Harley, and even if did I wouldn't part with it. Just how do you plan on paying her?"

"I don't puddin', I was gonna kill her!"

The Joker grinned.

"That's my girl!"

* * *

"Lisa, where are we going?" Heather asked as they climbed up the flight of stairs. When they reached the top the found the only door leading out was locked.

_I should have known._

Lisa Ashmore leaned against the door's long horizontal push bar and sighed in frustration. Then with no warning the door creaked open.

"It was only sticky." She chuckled to herself. "It wasn't locked."

"Lisa!" Heather hissed. "What are we doing here?"

"You'll see, just follow me." She told her fellow cougar as they emerged onto the building's roof top. "It's gotta be here somewhere."

It was a moonless night and the roof top was pitch dark. The only light was the city's own glow that reflected off the low cloud cover which was ever present in the local sky.

"Over there! I see it!" Lisa called out to her friend. "C'mon, hurry up; help me find the on switch."

"Lisa, we're gonna get into trouble for doing this." Heather reprimanded her.

"We're already in trouble! Or did you forget already? Never mind, I already found it."

Lisa ran her hand across the large breaker box until she found the large lever, which she pulled with some effort. The powerful floodlight came to life, emitting its brilliant beam of light into the sky.

"Let's hope he sees it before the cops do." Lisa said in a worried tone as she stared at the familiar shape in the sky.

* * *

Robin walked quietly back to his room, holding the Wayne family heirloom in his hand. As he walked down the hallway he placed it back into the black felt lined box, which from its appearance was also old. He still couldn't believe that Bruce had given him such a treasure. Even more amazing was that Bruce has basically told him to propose to Starfire. It was inconceivable. As he approached the end of the hall where his and Starfire's rooms where he heard murmuring and stopped. He realized that he was in front of BB and Raven's room and for a split second he began to eavesdrop on them but realizing his folly he kept on walking until he reached the next door, which led into his room. There he stopped and recounted to himself all that had happened that day. Raven and Beast Boy had married behind his and Starfire's backs, a lapse in judgment they were going to pay for. Now, after battling with the Joker's goons and a new enemy he had only read about he found himself with a ring that was burning a hole in his pocket.

As he opened the door he quietly entered his dark room and went straight for the bath, grabbing a fresh pair of boxers out of a drawer as he entered the bath where he started the shower, which quickly began to steam. He quickly washed of the dirt and grime from the earlier battle. He dried himself and slipped on his boxers, after which he brushed his teeth. He shut off the bathroom light as he emerged and grabbed the ring box from the bureau and took it with him. The room was so dark that he could barely see the bed as he placed the ring box on his night stand as he slipped into his bed. As he settled in he sensed he was not alone. He turned on the small light on his nightstand, not that he needed to.

"Greetings." She said demurely.

"Hi." He replied.

"You do not mind if we slumber together again?"

He smiled. "No, not at all. Actually, I was hoping you would be here."

"You were?" She said, her voice full of hope.

"Yes. Star, there's something we need to talk about."

"What is it Richard. Are you troubled?"

He nodded.

"Yeah."

"Then please share with me my beloved. I will always listen to what you have to say."

Robin sighed.

"Star, you know how Bruce is still single?"

"Yes Richard, it is painfully obvious."

"Well, he's had his share of ladies. He came close a few times to having real relationships. The first time was with Selina Kyle, Catwoman. And there have been others, including Zatanna. That didn't work out. His next lover was Talia al Ghul."

"You mean Ra's al Ghul's daughter?" Starfire asked clearly surprised.

Richard nodded.

"In the end Bruce chose the cowl over a mate."

"I see Richard, but why are you telling me this?"

Robin paused, as if deliberating what to say next.

"Star, I know that our relationship hasn't been going anywhere, and now that I've returned to Gotham I understand why it's been that way."

Starfire sat up in the bed with a concerned look on her face.

"I left Bruce and Gotham for Jump City because I thought I was different from him. It's only now that I realize that I've been acting just like him all this time."

Starfire stared, saying nothing.

"But I see where Bruce's decision has taken him Starfire." He said as he reached for the ring box. "And I know I don't want to end up like him." He continued as he cupped the box between his two hands.

"What I'm trying to say Star is that I'm sorry for being such an idiot. Will you forgive me?"

She let out a sigh of relief. "Of course Richard, I will always forgive you."

Robin cracked a smile.

"Good, that makes what I'm about to do a whole lot easier."

He opened the box and presented the ring to her.

"I know I should have done this a long time ago, but better late than never right?"

She stared at the ring, mesmerized.

"Star, will you marry me?"

Starfire appeared to space out, as if her mind had left her body. Suddenly she snapped back into reality.

"Yes, Yes, YES!"

Robin smiled.

"I accept Richard! I accept!"

* * *

The wind was howling on the rooftop, chilling the two women to the bone. Over 30 minutes had passed and they were about to throw in the towel, when they heard the rooftop access door creak open.

"OK! Who's out there? There's no use hiding! The only way off the roof is through the access door!"

The two women were hidden behind a ventilation shaft, and they saw several flashlight beams light up the rooftop.

"We don't have time for this!" The male voice called out. "The Bat signal isn't a toy, so I hope you have a good reason for turning it on!"

"You heard the man!" Another voice called out. "The commish has better things to do!"

The two women crouched down even lower.

"I told you this was a bad idea Lisa." Heather hissed at her. "They're going to arrest us."

"Well what were we supposed to do?" Lisa whispered back to her.

"You should have gone to the police first." A deep male voice reprimanded them from behind their backs. The women spun around and fell on their behinds, as they did not hear him approach.

"Batman!" Lisa shrieked. "You came!"

* * *

Richard took Starfire into his arms as she moved and sat on his lap. They exchanged countless deep kisses and time felt as if it had actually stopped as the Nirvana they shared seemed to have no end. Their blissful moment was interrupted by the sound of moaning. Richard stopped kissing his fiancée and listened.

"I don't believe it." He muttered. "I thought she said she was tired."

Starfire listened to the sounds penetrating through the thick walls and giggled.

"Star, this is nothing to laugh about!"

The princess chuckled even harder as the moans became louder and more rhythmic.

"Why not?"

Robin suddenly looked very flustered.

"They shouldn't be doing that here!"

"Doing what, my betrothed?" She asked innocently.

"Doing what? You can't tell?" He asked incredulously as the crescendo from next door became even louder.

Starfire laughed out loud.

"Oh Richard, they are doing nothing wrong. They are wed, or have you forgotten?"

"That's not it Star. They shouldn't be doing that here!" He complained as Raven's and Beast Boy's moans were now screams of pleasure.

"Why not?"

"Why not? Have you forgotten where we are? This is Wayne Manor!"

"I do not understand Richard, what is the problem?"

Robin let out an exasperated sigh.

"Starfire, you don't just 'get it on' at Wayne Manor!"

The screams became faster paced and even louder, as the two lover's called out each other's names.

"I do not understand Robin. They are not doing anything immoral. It is what husbands and wives do together, am I correct?"

"Yes Star, but not here! It just isn't done."

Starfire began to laugh.

"Did not Bruce's parents conceive him here in this house Richard?"

"That's different Star, completely different."

She laughed even louder as the screams reached their apex, and suddenly ceased.

"And bang goes the dynamite." Robin said morosely.

Starfire looked confused.

"I did not hear any explosion."

"It's slang Star. It means they're done."

"I see." She replied. "Once we are wed, we too may detonate the bedroom explosives. Yes?"

Robin began to laugh.

"I suppose you're right Star. We will someday. How about we do some of that slumbering now?"

She nodded eagerly and slipped under the covers and he quickly followed as he turned off the light. They snuggled up together.

"He can't be that good, no one is."

"Raven says that he is." She replied, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Raven told you?"

"Yes, I think she was doing what you call the 'bragging'."

"Now I've heard everything." He said in a clearly stunned voice. "Good night Star."

"Good night my betrothed. Sleep well."

* * *

Things are afoot at the Manor! I wonder what's happening back at the Tower?

And thanks for the reviews!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

The young women were escorted down the stairwell back into the heart of the main precinct of the Gotham Police Department. The building was old, as were all buildings in the downtown area. It was clearly overdue for a remodeling job, and from appearances it had been that way for some time as the grime on the handrails in the stairwell bore witness.

Gordon walked in front of them while a gruff, obese detective who wore a beat up fedora and overcoat along with a younger detective, a shapely woman, followed behind them. Gordon was walking at a brisk pace and exited the stairwell at the 12th floor. The two cougars picked up the pace and hurried after Gordon, while Lisa noticed that the Batman was not with them.

Gordon turned and opened a door, which had an opaque window with writing on it: 'James Gordon, Commissioner'. He motioned to the women to enter first, which they did followed closely by the 3 law enforcement agents. The room was dimly lit, with only a single small desktop lamp illuminating the room.

"Sit down" The overweight detective barked at them. The women slinked into a pair of very utilitarian looking metal chairs. As they did the two detectives handcuffed them to the armrests on the heavy chairs. They weren't going anywhere.

"So will you two young ladies tell what you were doing up one roof? Why did you summon Batman? Was this supposed to be some kind of prank?" Gordon interrogated the pair. "And who are you?"

"She's Lisa Ashmore. She works as a flight attendant for Wayne Corps's executive jet division." A fourth voice spoke from a dark corner in the room. Lisa turned in the voice's direction and saw two eyes peering from the darkness. As she continued to watch Batman emerged from the shadows. Her heart froze as she realized that Wayne had recognized her.

"N-n-oo" She stammered. "Not a prank."

"They why doll face?" Bullock asked her. "Why do you want to talk to the Bat? Why not come to us?"

Heather spoke up. "Because we knew you wouldn't believe us."

"And I would?" Batman replied.

Lisa nodded. "Harley Quinn is after us." She informed him.

Lisa saw Batman's jaw tighten.

"And why would she do that Miss Ashmore? You're just a flight attendant. Who is your companion?"

"Heather, Heather O'Neil." She replied. "We're friends from the night club scene."

"So you're also a cougar like Miss Ashmore?"

Lisa's jaw nearly hit the floor. How did he know? She never told anyone about her personal life at work.

"Cougar is such a harsh word." Heather bravely replied. "We just like to go out and have fun."

Batman continued his interrogation.

"I doubt you got on Harley's wrong side because you beat her to a guy one night. Why is she after you Miss Ashmore?"

"S-she's under the impression that I know your secret identity."

"And how did she come under that impression?"

Heather stammered in response.

"I told her."

"You did what!" Bullock bellowed. "Are you suicidal or something?"

"That's what I told her." Lisa replied.

Batman stood in front of the now cowering flight attendant, glaring down at her.

"Do you know who I am?"

She nodded her head.

"Bullock, un-cuff her."

"I don't take orders from whack jobs!" Harvey challenged the Dark Knight.

"Do as he says Harvey." Gordon admonished the portly detective.

Bullock un-cuffed Lisa while swearing under his breath. Batman grabbed her by the arm and led her to an open window.

"I'll bring her back." He announced as they stepped out on the fire escaped outside. He raised one of his grappling guns and fired upwards into the dark.

"Hang on."

Lisa shrieked as they began to swing in the darkness and within a moment they landed on another rooftop.

"OK Miss Ashmore, who do you think I am?"

"You're Bruce Wayne." She stammered.

"You're not the first to say that, and probably won't be the last. Why do you think I'm Bruce Wayne?"

She proceeded to tell him about the flight from Jump City and how she had recognized the not so disguised Starfire and the rest of the story, concluding with how she had checked in the Jump City media and found that Robin and Starfire were AWOL.

"That's an interesting story. I'll give you credit for doing your legwork. But I'm sorry to tell you that you've placed your life in danger and you don't have the facts straight."

"Like hell I don't."

"First of all, the girl you saw in the jet was a Starfire look alike. There's going to be a live action Titans movie and she is going to appear in it. She's Dick Grayson's fling of the week. But I can see how you thought she was the Tamaranian."

"But she has to be her."

"Think about it. If the Tamaranian is here in Gotham, then why isn't she working with me? No one has seen her, and that's because she isn't here. I'm sorry Miss Ashmore, but your case has fallen apart."

Lisa dropped her head.

"And now Harley is going to kill me for nothing?"

"What did Miss O'Neil tell Harley about you?"

Lisa swallowed before answering.

"My name and that we would meet her tomorrow night at the Stacked Deck."

Batman looked at the young woman. She on the short side, not unlike ….

"Jim Gordon will protect you and your friend Miss Ashmore. Now hang on, we're going back to his office …"

* * *

Barbara carefully lifted herself out of her wheelchair and onto her bed. Alfred had already pulled the covers back for her and that was the only help she would accept from him as she had already dismissed him for the night. He had left her a fresh nightgown, folded on top of the bed.

Barbara's arms were still very strong; the years of training to be an Olympic gymnast were once again paying off as she was now on the bed. Using only her hands she undressed herself and slipped on her nightgown. She hated being disabled and while she had finally accepted her new condition she also knew that she would fight it until the day she died. She would walk again, that she was determined to do.

As she settled in for the night her thoughts were of Starfire dressed as Batgirl during the elevator ride up from the Batcave. The Tamaranian was apologetic about taking Barbara's place. In Starfire's mind Barbara was the only real Batgirl. She had never heard of a young girl named Cassandra Cain and of course was ignorant of the destiny that awaited the abused child. But that was in the future and this was the present, and in the present the only thing Starfire saw in the elevator that she and Barbara rode back up into the Manor was a courageous young woman sitting in a wheelchair. Starfire wasn't so sure if she could face life as bravely as Barbara were they to trade places.

Barbara recalled the conversation they shared.

"Barbara." Starfire broke the ice. "I am so sorry about Richard."

"What do you mean Starfire?"

The Tamaranian reverted to her habit of tapping her index fingers together when she was nervous, which Barbara thought looked funny as the alien was still dressed as Batgirl.

"Richard has told me that you and he were once the intimate."

Barbara nodded.

"Yes, we once were lovers. In hindsight it was incredibly reckless. We were both just 15 at the time. We thought we kept it a secret but Dad and Bruce both knew."

"So what happened?"

"The expected happened. We were two immature kids playing with fire, and we got burned."

"I do not understand Barbara."

Babs turned to Starfire.

"Have you ever been intimate with him?"

The Tamaranian shook her head.

"Good." Barbara commented.

"I do not understand Barbara, why is that good? Friends Raven and Beast Boy were lovers for years before they wed."

Barbara snorted. "They were lucky."

Starfire sighed.

"Barbara, what happened between you and Richard? I know that he cares about you very much. He loves you. What happened that caused you to separate?"

"Sex happened. We were immature and we dove into it like a pair of idiots. We let our hormones define our relationship Starfire and it ruined everything."

"I do not understand. How did it ruin everything?"

"It's hard to explain Starfire. I guess the best way to describe it is that sex became the center of our relationship. And we were selfish. Instead of giving we would take. It didn't take long for it to become hollow, unsatisfying. Once we reached that point we realized that there was nothing else that mattered. I guess that's why I'm so envious of the two of you. I have to confess that I followed you guys through the gossip media over the years. He was afraid of getting close to you at first, wasn't he?"

Starfire closed her eyes and nodded.

"And since Tokyo you haven't been sure how he feels for you."

She nodded again.

Barbara sighed.

"That was my fault Starfire. When we broke up I was angry and did everything I could to hurt him. The fact that you got him to trust you says a lot about you. I can see how much he loves you."

Barbara saw a teardrop slide down Starfire's cheek.

"I have offered myself to him in the past, but he always rejected my offer. I was hurt by his rejections, but now I understand why he did so. Thank you Barbara."

"Starfire, I'm not going to lie to you. After Dick left for Jump City I realized that I still loved him. Back in the early days of your team I was really tempted to go out to Jump City and reconcile with him."

Starfire looked anxiously at the young woman.

"Why did you not?"

"I was afraid he would reject me." She laughed bitterly. "We members of the Batclan, we're a real piece of work."

"Please explain Barbara, what do you mean by that?"

It was now Barbara's turn to shed a tear.

"We're dysfunctional Starfire, all of us. Dick was smart to get the hell out, and he was lucky to meet you."

"Really? You believe that we are a good couple?"

Barbara nodded as the elevator doors opened.

"Yes, Starfire, you are a good couple, one that should seize the moment. As you now know we superheroes don't always have happy endings. Don't wait Starfire; make him yours, none of us knows what will happen tomorrow."

* * *

The dining room was already in use the following morning when Robin and Starfire arrived for breakfast. Barbara was seated in her wheelchair finishing up her meal while Beast Boy and Raven were just starting theirs. Raven was having an unusually hearty breakfast while she read a book; her face was its usual blank canvas. Beast Boy and Barbara were chatting about the Joker and his gang as Robin and Starfire joined them at the table. Without looking up from her book Raven greeted them in her signature deadpan.

"Good morning and congratulations. That is a stunning ring you're wearing Starfire."

Beast Boy and Barbara ceased to chat and focused on the ring the princess was sporting. Beast Boy whistled.

"Dude! That's a beauty."

"Yeah, it is." Barbara commented half heartedly before turning to the gray sorceress. "Raven, I've never seen your ring."

"That's because I don't have one."

"You don't?" Barbara asked, clearly surprised.

"No, Azarathian traditions are different from North American traditions."

"I see." Barbara replied, the disappointment clear in her voice.

"No you don't." Raven replied. "Gar and I were never 'engaged' as you would understand. We pledged ourselves to each other in private over a year ago. At that moment we were mated, for life. We only did the wedding at City Hall the other day for Gar's sake."

"Wow, you Azarathians are a romantic bunch." Barbara replied with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"More so than you think." Raven replied. "Do not judge my culture by your standards. Gar is my mate and I love him fiercely." She informed Barbara in her monotone. "I will never forsake him and would give my life for him in a heartbeat."

Barbara smiled contritely. "I'm sorry Raven, I didn't know."

"It's quite alright Barbara." She deadpanned. "Robin and Starfire still don't get it."

Bruce walked into the room and took his place at the head of the table as Alfred served his breakfast.

"I have good news." He announced as he began to eat. "Harley Quinn will be at the Stacked Deck tonight, probably alone, and we are going to capture her."

Robin looked up from his plate.

"What happened last night Bruce?"

The billionaire proceeded to explain his encounter with Lisa Ashmore.

"She recognized us?" Richard asked.

"Yes she did, you shouldn't have brought Starfire with you, not even in disguise."

"Well forgive me for having a life. And by the way, we're engaged now."

Bruce relaxed and smiled.

"Yes, I see." He said as he took Starfire's hand in his. "Welcome to the Wayne family Starfire."

"Thank you Bruce. And I welcome you to the Royal House of Tamaran."

"It seems that a got the better end of the deal." He joked.

Starfire turned and gazed into her betrothed's eyes.

"Oh, I do not agree Bruce. I do not agree one bit."

Raven interrupted.

"You must have a plan for tonight Bruce."

Wayne turned to face Raven and gave her a small smile.

"Strange that you should ask, as you and Starfire are the center of it."

* * *

And now, time for a tradition that I have neglected so far in this series:

MAIL BAG TIME!

**The Mighty One** - "I did it! I finnaly finished reading what you had posted!"

_Wow!, you plowed through those fast!_

**GreenRock** - "Yeah, we're gonna see Poison Ivy. This story's gonna get better and better. I can feel it."

_You have felt the tremor in the force, have you?_

**lauurenn-2** - "you story are perfect!(sorry i'm brazilian)"

_No apologies are required! I am always thrilled to hear from international readers!_

**Novus Ordo Seclorum** - "You had me at 'the detonation of bedroom explosives.' What a killer line. I actually chuckled out loud, which is rare when I am reading in a room by myself. Congrats on that accomplishment foremost."

_LOL. The best lines often come out of nowhere._

**Main Source of Annoyance** - "laughs ... So so funny! I like lots... I would say "update soon" but that seems pretty pointless as you are incredibly consistent."

_Thank you, I have been very inspired so far. I hope that I can keep this pace up._

**titanfan45** - "I like the way you are writing Harley's part in this, despite this character being the Joker's girlfriend and being a criminal in her own right, I've always liked her."

_I like Harley a lot too._

**Raven** - "RAVAGE ME, YOU BEAST!"

_Dear Miss Roth: While I am flattered by your, ummm, luscious invitation, I am afraid that I must decline both politely and respectfully. Were I to accept your offer I would no doubt find a quick death at Beast Boy's hands (and my wife's hands as well!). That said, I forwarded your invitation to the green bean and the last time I saw him he was running to your room._

**Hinn-Raven** - "I just love Robin's reaction to Beast Boy and Raven, though. Very funny. Loving this story so far, keep it up!"

_Thanks!_


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

Jack Ryder sighed as he tried to relax in the living room of his sumptuous penthouse in Gotham's tony west side. He was dressed only in a tank top and his boxers as he stepped out into the chilly nighttime air on his balcony. The wind was blowing harder than usual and he could feel that his "patch" was ready to be replaced as it was beginning to come loose. He had been wearing the patches for a year now and they had helped him save his journalistic career.

Ryder was troubled by the recent news regarding the Joker. He had sworn that someday he would avenge what the Joker had done to him. On more than one occasion he had been tempted to completely remove that patch from his upper arm and let the chips fall where they may. The only thing that stopped him was that he had no control over his alter ego, and while 'The Creeper' was not a villain he was a loose cannon.

This time though the Joker had gone too far. He had murdered the new younger Robin in cold blood and almost succeeded in murdering the Commissioner's daughter as well. Ryder reentered his penthouse and paced around his living room, pondering his options.

He knew that if he turned The Creeper loose that there was a good chance that the demented do gooder would be traced back to him, and that would be the end of his career as a jounalist. Nevertheless he felt his hatred for the Joker grow in his chest, swelling. He dashed into his bedroom and entered his walk-in closet. After rummaging around he emerged with a cardboard box. After removing its lid he flipped it over, dumping its contents on his bed. It was all there, not that his costume covered up much at all. Silently he slipped it on and looked at himself in the mirror. He grimaced at the sight of the nonsensical get up. He knew that there was no point in creating a more sensible costume, one without a furry cloak, as The Creeper would never wear it.

It was now dark and Ryder gazed into the moonless nighttime sky. He knew what he had to do. He slowly reached over and peeled off the patch. He had peeled it off the day Batman rescued him from himself, he recalled how he quickly began to transform back into his alter ego and was barely able to stick it back on in time to stop the process.

Tonight there would be no going back he thought to himself as he quickly ripped the patch off and tossed it aside.

* * *

Beast Boy sat on the bed while Raven prepared herself for her mission to the Stacked Deck. He smirked as she fussed with the flight attendant uniform that Alfred had procured for her, as it didn't fit her quite right. She was the same height as Lisa Ashmore but she had wider hips and a larger bust than the troublemaking flight attendant. Raven gave up trying to adjust her outfit and instead she opened the jar of makeup, which she began to apply to her face, replacing her gray complexion with one that more closely matched Lisa Ashmore's. There was also a case of colored contact lenses to mask Raven's amethyst eyes. Beast Boy hopped off the bed, with a wig in his hand.

"I don't know how I let Bruce talk me into this." She grumbled. "He should have let me handle it my way. This costume won't fool anyone who's done their homework. I don't look anything like her."

"It's too bad Cy never made you a holoring." He replied as he approached her.

"I hate contacts. They're impossible to put on." She complained as she blinked while looking into a mirror. "You're right; I should have asked Cyborg to make one of his rings for me." After several tries she was able to get the rogue lens to stay put. She stared at her reflection in the mirror as she put on the wig.

"So this is what I would look like if I wasn't a witch." She deadpanned.

"You're not a witch Rae."

She bit her lip before replying, dropping her head as she did.

"Then what am I?"

He cracked a big smile.

"You're a woman. My woman."

She gave a small smile in return.

"You like the sound of that, don't you?"

"Darn right I do."

"Well, before you get too possessive don't forget that I own you too."

"I wouldn't want it any other way." He replied.

She gave him another smile.

"I'd kiss you, but I'm afraid half of my makeup would end up on your face." She sighed. "Now I feel sorry for Starfire. She has to do this every time she suits up as Batgirl. Applying all this makeup is a chore. And then she can't even use her own powers."

"So Star's gonna be your backup?" He asked.

"Yes, she'll be hiding in the shadows in case I need help. Like I'll need any."

"You be careful Rae, don't get cocky."

"Oh come on Gar, she's just some airheaded henchwoman dressed in a clown suit."

Beast Boy snarled at his wife.

"She isn't an airhead Rae. She's a doctor, a psychiatrist."

Raven knew he was right.

"OK, I'll be careful. But you be even more careful. I don't like the idea of just you, Robin and Batman charging into the Joker's lair, especially when he has that human lightning rod at his disposal. And don't let your previous success against her go to your head. She's gonna be ready for you this time, probably even out for revenge."

"I'll be fine Rae, I'll be with Dick and Bruce."

"I'd feel better if Kal-El was with you."

Beast Boy chuckled. "There's no way Batman is calling for help, especially not from Superman."

Raven snorted. "At least now we know where Robin learned to be so anal-retentive." She sighed. "It's time Gar." She leaned over and gave him a very careful peck on the cheek, so as not to spoil her makeup job. "Be safe, OK?"

"Sure Rae, you too."

* * *

The greenhouse door creaked as it was slowly opened. There were no lights on and the dark moonless sky didn't help either. The silhouetted figure clicked on a flashlight and inspected the greenhouse. It looked perfectly ordinary, with rows of violets and other tropical flowers filling up most of the counter space.

"Red?" Harley whispered. "It's me, Harley. Are you here Red?"

The harlequin shrieked in surprise as a vine came out of nowhere and wrapping itself around her ankle lifted her into the air, hanging her upside down.

"That's not funny Red. Now put me down!"

"Well I think it's hilarious Harl, you do scare so easily." Poison Ivy purred in her suave voice. The pale woman wearing the organic green leotard gestured with her hand and the vine released Harley from its grasp, and she landed on the floor with a thud.

"Hey!" Harley complained. "That's no way to treat a friend."

"That's how I treat all my friends Harley." Ivy smirked.

"Well it's no wonder I'm your only friend. Sheesh Red, what's with ya latetly?"

"I've been laying low, rebuilding my forces Harley, especially since Batman's been on a rampage. What was the Joker thinking? The Bat's going to want revenge Harl, or did your "puddin'" never think about that?"

Harley laughed nervously.

"Funny that you should say that Red. Livewire's back in town and she joined up with Mr. J."

"Really? And how did he pull that off?"

"She wants to kill the Bat brat."

Ivy shook her head.

"She always was obsessed with the Batgirl. Ever notice that she never showed any interest in guys, not even the cute ones?"

Harley looked shocked. "No way! I mean, she never put any moves on us, right?"

Ivy laughed. "Maybe we weren't her type Harl."

"I don't even want to think about it." Harley replied.

Ivy continued chuckling.

"So why are you here Harl? Don't tell me that you want me to join with the Joker? You know I can't stand that idiot!"

Harley grimaced at Ivy.

"I'll never understand what you see in him Harley, really. He's self centered, he's double crossed you more than once, I mean come on!"

Harley swallowed her pride and made her pitch.

"We need your help Red. The original Robin came back …"

"He did? I always thought he was cute…"

"I'm not joking Red, and he brought two of those Titans with him."

Ivy looked amused. "Which ones?"

"He brought the changeling and the … witch."

Ivy's expression of amusement vanished immediately.

"You mean the gray sorceress? That is bad. But why should I stick my neck out for him?"

"We gotta stop 'em Red, if we don't they're gonna clean everyone's clock. And I'm not talking about Arkham Red. I've heard scary things about the witch. There's a rumor goin' around. People are sayin' she's really a demon."

Ivy was standing with her arms crossed and a troubled look on her face.

"I see your point Harl. But we're going to need more help. I'll take of that since everyone hates the Joker."

"Thank's Red, I knew I could count on ya! Hey, ya wanna have some fun with me tonight?"

"Sure Harl, what do you have in mind?"

"I'm meeting some chick at the Stacked Deck tonight. She's some kind of flight attendant. She says she knows who the Bat is."

"She's probably lying Harl. You know you're wasting your time."

"Sure Red, but who knows, maybe she's right. Either way I was planning on greasing her and tossing her into the Gotham River. So are you in?"

"Why not?" Ivy replied. "There's nothing good on TV tonight."

* * *

Robin watched as Starfire suited up as Batgirl. Now that they were engaged the Tamaranian had lost all her modesty before him. Much to his surprise she stripped down in front of him, in all of her orange glory, before she put on the special spandex undergarments that she wore under the Batgirl costume. Robin was so mesmerized by her natural beauty that he actually stopped breathing and only resumed when he began to feel light headed.

"Star, if you're trying to seduce me, it's working."

The Tamaranian turned and gave him the most seductive smile he had ever seen.

"I am yours Richard, you only need to ask."

Robin felt his heart pound like a jackhammer.

"I ..I .. think we should pick a wedding date Star." He gulped. "The sooner the better."

She giggled. "Raven was right about you."

"What did she say about me?"

"That you are the "basket case" when it comes to matters of the heart."

"She's one to talk! Sure, she might be a tigress behind closed doors but she's still the ice queen with him in public."

Starfire giggled. "Do not be upset my betrothed. Just say the word and I shall make you mine right here and now."

Robin looked at the clock on the wall. There was plenty of time to spare. He could see the longing in her eyes and his heart was pounding so hard that he was afraid it would pop out of his chest.

"I'm … not ready Star."

She looked disappointed but wiped the expression from her face.

"I understand my betrothed. I had the 'heart to heart' with Barbara. She explained everything to me."

"Everything?" He asked in a clearly panicked voice.

"Uh huh" She replied.

Robin looked completely bewildered and began to stammer incoherently.

"Robin, are you alright?"

"What did she tell you?" He finally replied.

Starfire recounted the conversation she with Barbara.

"You mean to tell me that you're not angry with me?"

"Should I be?"

"You mean you're not jealous Star? It doesn't bother you to know that Barbara and I were lover's once?"

"I will confess that it did bother me for a long time. But after talking with her I now understanding why you are so hesitant regarding our relationship. For the longest time I thought that it was my fault, but now I know it is because you have been healing from your failed relationship with Barbara."

Robin looked amazed.

"You should have been a shrink Star. You'd be good at it."

"Shrink?"

"Psychiatrist."

"Oh I see." She giggled. "A healer of souls."

"So Star, are you OK with all this? You should know by now that I'm what some people would call 'high maintenance', are you OK with that?"

She reached into her Bat belt and retrieved the engagement ring, slipping it on her still ungloved hand.

"I am quite the 'OK' with it." She smiled.

* * *

The flying black disk flew silently over Gotham Harbor, carrying its two silent passengers. The city's skyline twinkled in the background while a nearby cargo ship blew its horn as it was led away from the pier by a couple of tugboats.

"It is over there."

"I see it Starfire."

Raven deftly guided her flying platform to land in front to the grungy pool hall.

"The Stacked Deck? More like the Stinky Dump!" Raven commented dryly as she stepped off the black disk which promptly evaporated.

"I will enter from a skylight on the roof and watch from there." Starfire told her.

"Keep your eyes open Starfire. She'll almost certainly be disguised."

Starfire nodded. As there was no one around the outside of the pool hall she silently flew up to the rooftop and opened a skylight.

Raven walked up to the door and pulled it open. The place reeked of cheap cigarettes and beer, with a not so subtle hint of urine. The gray sorceress realized just how much she was missing Jump City, in spite of its seemingly never ending sunny days. Gritting her teeth she made her way inside.

The pool hall's interior was cliché to say the least. The floor was filthy and the pool tables looked old and worn. The patrons were the low life riff-raff and that was to be expected. Before the door had closed behind her the cat calls began.

"Hey sugar! Shake it, don't break it."

"Nice caboose sweetie, can I be yer boyfriend?"

Suddenly her path was blocked by a huge goon who has a long matchstick sticking out of his mouth.

"Matches Muldoon is my name, showing pretty ladies a good time is my game!" He bellowed.

Raven had to summon every ounce of her will power to not dispatch the boorish idiot to another dimension. She looked up at the skylight and saw Starfire hovering in the shadows, covering her mouth to suppress her laughter. Raven was not amused.

"Leave me alone. I didn't come here to see you." She deadpanned.

"I like ladies who play hard to get." Matches replied.

"I'm warning you." Raven hissed. "Leave me alone."

"Oh come on babe, give me a chance. I do have my charms." He said as he tried to wrap an arm around Raven, who quickly stepped away from him.

"The lady's here to see me Matches." A female voice with a Brooklyn accent called out.

Matches quickly backed away from Raven.

"Sorry Miss, ya shoulda told me ya wuz here to see Harley." He apologized as he vanished into the crowd.

Raven scanned the room and couldn't find the harlequin. She was no doubt disguised.

"Over here toots!" Harley called out from a large round table where she was seated, surrounded by several local toughs. She was wearing an oversized trench coat and a red beret. "Did ya bring the goods?"

"That depends." Raven replied doing her best to mimic a Gotham accent. "Did you bring the money?"

"I got it right here kiddo." She said as she raised a briefcase and opened it. The case was full of the counterfeit cash that "King" Barlow had once bequeathed to the Joker.

Raven calmly approached the table.

"So who's the Bat toots?" Harley asked in a sing song voice.

"Your mama!" Raven yelled as she raised her arms and with her dark energy sent Harley's bodyguards flying. Harley fell back on her chair landing on the ground.

"Red! Help! It's the witch!" Harley shrieked as Raven's dark energy enveloped her,

Poison Ivy emerged from the shadows.

"I swear Harl, you can be so helpless at times." Ivy chided the harlequin before turning to Raven. "Now why don't you be a good little witch and let Harley go before I have to hurt you."

"Don't make me laugh." Raven snarled.

"I thought you were incapable of laughter." Ivy taunted her as she raised her palm, ready to blow her deadly spores at Raven's face. "You seem like a nice kid Raven, so I'm giving you one last chance. Let Harley …"

Ivy was unable to finish her threat as she was body slammed by a black and yellow flash. She was unconscious before she hit the floor. Harley stared in amazement.

"Ya been workin' out Bat brat? Ya seem stronger than before."

Starfire didn't have an opportunity to respond as every hood in the pool hall was rushing at her. The Tamaranian had no trouble in dispatching the hoodlums. A few tried to shoot the Batgirl but she easily dodged their shots and quickly disarmed them with her batarangs. The more cowardly thugs kept their distance, pondering their next move.

"I knew this would be easy." Raven told Batgirl with a smug look on her face. "Batgirl, you get Poison Ivy. We're done …."

Before Raven could finish her victory speech a loud crash was heard from the far end of the pool hall. A gaping hole appeared in the wall and a strange looking man with green hair and yellow skin, attired only in a pair of striped black and green briefs and a red furry cloak emerged from the opening.

"HONEY! I'M HOOOOOME!" He bellowed to no one in particular.

The remaining hoods and the ones who had since regained consciousness fled in panic.

"It's the Creeper, run for your lives!" A voice shouted in the background.

"The who?" Raven asked, clearly surprised by the strange man's arrival.

The Creeper somersaulted and with a huge leap landed on a pool table as the Stacked Deck was clearing out. Harley stared at him, recalling her encounter with the mad man from over a year ago, when he had fallen in love with her. While she found him repulsive she knew that she would rather be with him than with Raven.

"Help me creep-o. This mean girl is hurting me!" Sshe called out as she shook off her red beret.

Jack Ryder's alter ego recognized his long lost crush and leaped towards Raven.

"You stay out of this creep!" Raven snarled at him.

"Creeper!" He corrected her as he laughed maniacally.

"I don't have time for this!" Raven snarled as she tried to capture the yellow man with her dark energy.

The Creeper leaped up in the air and executing a perfect spinning heel kick he connected with Raven's face, sending her toppling onto the ground. Raven was seeing stars and was only still conscious due to her partially demonic physiology. As Raven rolled on the ground the Creeper scooped Harley up and began to lick her.

"You taste good!" He told her with glee. "I missed you!"

"Creep-o! Watch out!" Harley shrieked.

Ryder turned around just in time to see Batgirl's fist fly into his face, connecting squarely on his cheekbone.

"Sleepy time." He said as he crashed onto the ground, trapping Harley under him.

"Not again!" Harley whimpered.

Raven staggered to her feet, rubbing her face where Ryder had socked her.

"You were saying Raven?" Starfire asked her.

"OK, so I was wrong. But we caught three villains instead of just one."

"Two villains." Starfire corrected her. "The Poison Ivy has escaped."

Raven pulled her wig off and threw it on the ground before she reached for her Titan's communicator.

"We'd better let them know what happened."

Harley Quinn stared at the girl wearing the Batgirl outfit.

_It can't be! She knocked him out with a single punch! She's as strong as Supergirl! And she tossed the goons like they were rag dolls._

"You ain't Batgirl!" Harley shouted out. "Who are you?"

* * *

If you aren't familiar with The Creeper watch "Beware The Creeper" in Batman the Animated Series, season 4. It's one of my favorite episodes.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

The Batmobile was quickly approaching the warehouse district, where the night before Batman had confirmed Barbara's hunch regarding the location of the Joker's lair. As they entered the nearly deserted section of town Batman guided his signature ground transport into an alley, where he parked, shutting off the engine and popping open the canopy. Beast Boy had been riding in the rear back seat and was the last the exit from the vehicle. He sniffed the air and frowned, as the stench of decrepitude and abandonment reeked in the air. But he was able to make out another aroma amidst the stench.

"Dude, they aren't far away. I can smell them."

"We are downwind from the ware house." Batman replied. "The Joker's hideout is 11 blocks away. Robin and I will get there using out grappling hooks, Beast Boy you can fly ahead as an owl and do some reconnaissance for us."

The green changeling nodded as he spread his arms, and about to begin to morph into the silent avian of the night when his Titan communicator rang with its familiar chime. He lowered his arms and retrieved the round communicator from his belt, flipping it open as Batman scowled at him for not putting it into silent mode. The next thing the Dark Knight and Robin saw was a surprised look on Beast Boy's face.

The changeling gasped as he saw was his wife's bruised face on the display. The Creeper's kick had partially wiped away the disguise makeup from the sorceress's face, revealing a huge purple bruise. She did not look happy.

"Rae! What happened to you?" He asked in a worried tone as Robin patched into the call with his communicator while Batman stood at his side. Soon enough they too could see Raven's disheveled mug on the other communicator as well.

"Were you able to capture Quinn?" The Batman asked in his own signature monotone.

"Yes, we have her. We also had Poison Ivy in custody until this weirdo came crashing through the wall. Starfire was able to knock him out, but Ivy escaped during the commotion."

"A weirdo?" Robin asked.

Raven rubbed her still sore jaw, getting some residual makeup on her hands.

"Yeah a weirdo, a real creep. He has some kind of crush on Quinn. He attacked me to protect her…"

"And he gave you the shiner?" Robin inquired.

"Good guess Bird Boy. And he has the strangest name. All the thugs in the Stacked Deck recognized him immediately and ran for their lives. They called him 'The Creeper'."

Batman gasped so loudly that even Raven heard him over her communicator.

"The Creeper?" Beast Boy asked. "That's an interesting name for a villain."

"He isn't a villain Beast Boy." Batman replied.

"The bruise on my face begs to differ Batman." Raven interjected.

"Who is The Creeper?" Robin asked.

Batman stiffened before he replied.

"He's Jack Ryder."

"Ryder? The journalist?"

"Yes." Batman replied. "Raven, where is The Creeper now? Did he escape?"

"He's still out cold. He's pretty strong, but he's no match for Starfire. Are you sure he's not a villain?"

"No, he's not. Over a year ago Jack Ryder was conducting a re-enactment on live TV to show how the Joker fell into the acid tank and became the Joker. While he was narrating it the Joker showed up, gassed him and threw him into an acid tank. The end result was The Creeper. He has incredible super human strength and is in love with Quinn, who does not reciprocate his feelings."

"Wow." Raven replied. "That explains a lot. He seemed to be demented."

"He is." Batman replied. "But he's not evil. He only hit you because you were threatening Quinn."

Raven sighed. "So what do we do with him? I don't think the police can handle him once he wakes up."

"You're right, they can't." He replied as he pulled out his own communicator, the Batwave.

"Barbara, are you there?"

"Oracle here." Her voice replied.

"I see you already picked a new name for yourself, good. Can you get directions to Jack Ryder's penthouse to Raven?"

"I'm a step ahead of you, it's already done, I was monitoring the Titan's communicators."

Raven saw that Barbara had already downloaded a map to her communicator.

"Raven, can you get Ryder back to his apartment? We need to take care of him first. I need to find out what happened with him, he promised me he would never become The Creeper again."

"I've got him secure Bruce. Even if he wakes up he can't escape from my dark energy. The police have already taken Quinn away so we can both escort Ryder back home."

"Well done Raven. We'll meet you there. Batman out."

Robin shut his communicator while Beast Boy left his open.

"Are you OK Rae? That bruise looks pretty bad."

"I'll be fine Gar; it's nothing a healing trance won't take care of. What I really want to do is get out of this stupid flight attendant uniform."

"Really? I thought it made you look kind of hot."

"Oh please Gar, I'm not in the mood right now."

"Sorry Rae." He replied contritely.

"It's OK, never mind." She replied before she disconnected.

"Beast Boy, I still want you to do that recon mission. After you're done, meet us at the penthouse." Batman instructed him.

Beast Boy nodded. "I'm on it." He replied as he once again spread his arms and morphed into an owl, silently flying off into the dark.

* * *

Batgirl carefully placed Ryder on the couch in his living room. He was beginning to stir as Batman injected into his arm a large dose of the serum that kept Ryder in his normal persona, after which he placed a fresh patch on his upper arm. As the others watched his hair and complexion returned to their natural tones. He moaned as he woke up and the first thing he saw was Batman's cowl.

"Oh don't tell me …"

"Jack, why did you do it? You promised me that you'd never bring The Creeper back."

Ryder moaned.

"The Joker … he has to be stopped Batman …"

Ryder turned and saw Raven's angry scowl. She had already wiped all the makeup off her face, but her bruise was even bigger than before.

"I, I owe you an apology Miss." He stammered.

"My name is Raven." She replied in her monotone. "And I accept your apology."

He then turned to Starfire, who was still dressed as Batgirl.

"And you lady, you pack a wallop. You aren't Batgirl. Who are you? Supergirl?"

Raven redirected his attention away from Starfire.

"What is your obsession with Quinn?" She hissed at him. "She works for the Joker, in case you've forgotten."

Ryder shook his head. "I don't know. The Creeper's in love with her, I have no idea why."

"Jack." Batman admonished him. "Leave the Joker to us. As you can see I already have help. You almost botched our mission to capture Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy escaped because of your interference."

"I'm sorry Batman, and I'm also sorry the Creeper injured you Miss Raven."

"Forget it." She replied. "Let me do something about your face. You can't do the evening news looking like that." She told him as she placed her palm near his face and her blue light appeared. In less than a minute his own facial bruise had vanished.

"Wow!" He rubbed his face. "That's a good trick. Thank you Raven. I wish I could return the favor."

"It's alright; I'll heal myself later tonight."

_And hopefully we'll be spared another performance tonight._ Robin thought to himself.

_**I heard that Bird Boy**__!_ Raven replied to him telepathically.

_Well it's true. You guys make a lot of … noise._

_**Well excuse me for enjoying some intimacy with my husband. **_

_Intimacy? More like "Logans gone wild"!_

_**Maybe you should give some satisfaction to Starfire; we both know she wants it.**_

_Raven!_

**Oh grow up!**

The telepathic exchange was interrupted by Beast Boy's arrival. He gracefully glided into the living room through the open French doors and morphed back into his human form as he landed.

"Dudes, we've got a problem."

Ryder bolted up from the couch.

"Really, what is it?"

"Sorry Jack, no exclusive for you tonight. Beast Boy, you head back to the Batcave with Raven and Batgirl. We'll meet you there so you can give us your report. Robin and I have more to discuss with Mr. Ryder."

* * *

Alfred observed in fascination as Raven levitated over the medical bay bed, deep in her healing trance. He gasped as he saw her bruise slowly vanish. Once it was gone she floated down back to the bed and woke up.

"You look as good as new Rae." Beast Boy informed her, his fang poking out from his mouth.

Raven rubbed her jaw.

"The soreness is almost completely gone." She replied. "I feel a lot better."

"I'm happy to see you have recovered Mrs. Logan. I'll be upstairs, if you require anything please use the intercom to let me know." Alfred informed them as he left the Batcave.

Starfire was over by the computer console with "Oracle" discussing who knows what. As the Batmobile pulled in Raven turned to her husband and gave him a very sly smile.

"I want us to be extra noisy tonight Gar. Really loud."

"Say what?"

"You heard me. I want us to bring down the house."

Beast Boy looked perplexed.

"But Robin and Star will hear us."

"That's the idea big boy." She smiled slyly at him.

Beast Boy still looked confused.

"I'm not sure I know what you're thinking Rae … but I like it."

Batman summoned his team to the circular conference table in the middle of the cave. Beast Boy connected his communicator into a USB port and after typing a few commands a picture appeared on the holographic display above the table.

"I took this picture when I first arrived. As you can see the Joker and Livewire appear to be arguing. The next shot shows the three mime faced goons we met earlier. Nothing else happened for a while and I was about to leave …"

Beast Boy tapped a key and the next picture had some new people in it.

"… when these guys arrived. I recognized Poison Ivy, but I don't know who the others are. "

"The fat guy in the suit is Rupert Thorne. He's a local underworld boss. He's very cunning and almost as dangerous as the Joker." Batman filled in the blanks. "And the other villain, he's known as Bane."

"Dude! I've heard of him! He juices himself up and becomes super strong."

"The rumor on the streets is that he has a new improved formula for his venom, and that it makes him twice as strong as it used to."

"No way!" Robin gasped. "That would make him as strong as Starfire."

Batman replied in a grave voice.

"I'm afraid that we're in a bad situation. We're up against 4 very dangerous supervillains and Gotham's deadliest underworld boss."

"Why don't we have Cy come join us?" Beast Boy asked. "He does kick butt."

"Gar's right." Raven affirmed. "Bruce, isn't there someone who could cover for Starfire as Batgirl? She'd be free to use her own powers as well. Her Starbolts would come in handy."

Batman stroked his chin. "Now that you mention it …. Barbara, can you get in contact with Spoiler?"

"It's been a while, but I'm sure that I can find her."

"Let me know Barbara. And Robin, go ahead and have Cyborg join us…"

Batman paused.

"…we're going to need all the help we can get."

* * *

Cyborg was hiding in the garage. He wasn't officially hiding. He was giving the T Car an oil change. For the 2nd time since Raven and BB had gone to Gotham, leaving him in charge. So far that week he had also:

Replaced the brakes, even though they were still new.

Waxed it every day (Ok, he always did that).

Rotated the tires several times.

Vacuumed the interior and shampooed the carpeting.

Upgraded the stereo.

He was beginning to despair as he was running out of make work projects, which meant he would have to return to the common room. Under normal circumstances he had no issues with being in the common room. But these were not normal circumstances.

Unfortunately it was lunch time, which meant that he would have to enter the common room to get to the kitchen to prepare his lunch. He had been able to avoid this unfortunate task by going out for breakfast, lunch and dinner by himself. Unfortunately he had pulled the engine out of the T Car to perform an upgrade, and it wouldn't be taking him anywhere at the moment. He realized the folly of his task as it dawned on him that if there was an alarm he had no mode of transportation and neither Raven nor Starfire were there to give him a ride.

As he approached the common room Cyborg hoped against all hope that the situation there would be different. Unfortunately he was wrong. As the sliding doors opened the familiar scene greeted him.

Jinx and Wally were fighting. Again.

He sighed as he made his way into the room.

"Don't mind me." He announced his entry, which was completely ignored by the bickering couple.

"Nice weather we're having."

No response. He scratched his head.

"Did you hear the news? Raven and BB are pregnant!"

The couple stopped bickering long enough to give Cyborg a double take, after which they resumed their fight. The tin man gave up and proceeded into the kitchen, where he gathered the ingredients needed to assemble a large sandwich. As he began to slice the large roll of bread in half, his built in communicator chimed. He tapped on his metal forearm to answer the call. As the LCD display popped out of his arm he was greeted by a familiar face.

"Yo Rob, wassup?"

"Hey there Cyborg. So how are things going?"

"Slow." He replied. "No missions since Raven and the grass stain left."

"Great." Robin interjected. "I want you to come to Gotham ASAP. Leave whoever you want in charge. We've got some major bad guys to deal with here and we could use your help."

Cyborg grinned.

"I thought you would never ask Robin. I'll be on my way in an hour! Cyborg out!"

The tin man snapped the communicator display back into his arm and turned to face the still bickering couple.

"SHUT UP!" He bellowed, which worked as the fight stopped. Jinx was the first to recover from the surprise.

"You stay out of this Cyborg! You can't tell us whether or not we can fight."

"I don't care if you fight. I have to leave." He paused for a moment, deliberating his next words.

"Jinx, you're in charge!"

The pink haired enchantress broke into a huge grin while Kid Flash's face fell.

"Cyborg, are you serious about leaving her in charge?"

"I am. Deal with it!" He thundered as he hurried out of the common room, his sandwich already forgotten.

"If you need any help, call Titans East." He shouted as the doors closed behind him.

* * *

I feel kind of "meh" about this chapter. I promise the next one will be better.

And thanks for all your reviews. The 'hit' counter on my account had been broken for 10 days now, so your reviews are the only way I know that anyone is reading this story.

And speaking of stories, I have one to recommend. It's a pretty sophisticated one, with lots of mystery and supernatural spookiness. It's called "Opening the Closet Door a Crack." by 'still too old for this'. It's well worth reading and don't forget to leave him a review or two.

Until next time! Leave me lots of reviews and I might even update by tomorrow.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

"Good morning Lisa."

"Good Morning Captain Horsley, if you can call it that."

The uniformed pilot chuckled.

"Getting up early never hurt anyone Lisa."

"4 AM is not 'early' Brian. Where are we going at this ungodly hour? And who are our passengers?"

"We're going to Metropolis and we'll be back around noon with our passenger."

"So just one? Who?"

"I don't know, we'll find out soon enough. I already completed the preflight check."

"I'll get the cabin ready." She replied with a sigh.

"Oh cheer up Lisa. We're getting the rest of the day off…"

Lisa hurried to the back of the executive jet to make preparations for their dignitary. As she got the coffee maker going she heard the captain greet their passenger, but didn't catch his name. She dashed out of the galley to attend to the passenger before the jet took off.

"Can I get you anything …"

The passenger swiveled his seat around to face her.

"… Mr. Wayne?"

Bruce looked up at her name tag.

"I wouldn't mind some coffee Miss … Ashmore."

Lisa stared in surprise at her unexpected passenger.

"Are you alright Miss Ashmore?"

Lisa shook her head, snapping out of her trance.

"I'm fine Mr. Wayne. I'll get your coffee right away. How do you take it?"

"Black please."

Lisa hurried back to the galley and poured a cup of coffee for the company's CEO.

"Here you go Mr. Wayne. I need to go buckle in, we're ready for takeoff." She said as she headed back to her seat in the galley.

"Please Miss Ashmore, have a seat in the cabin. I'd like to chat with you. I have some questions I'd like to ask."

Without saying a word she sat down next to him. Her heart was pounding in anticipation of what he might ask her. Would it be about the Batman? Had he heard about her near disaster with Harley Quinn?

"How long have you been with us Miss Ashmore?" He asked while sipping his coffee. The jet's engines began to rev up and the Gulfstream began its sprint down the runway.

"It's been three years now Mr. Wayne."

"I see." He replied as the jet became airborne. "Do you like working for Wayne Enterprises? And please, feel free to be candid with me; I reassure you that you can speak freely without any fear of retribution."

"Well." She replied. "The pay can't be beat. And it's a lot easier than working for a commercial airline. What's there not to like?"

Bruce chuckled. "Well, I'm glad to see you're happy. So tell me Lisa, what do you do for fun, you know, on your own time."

She sighed. "Not much Mr. Wayne, at least not these days."

"I'm sorry to hear that. There's nothing worse than being bored."

Lisa chuckled. "Oh, I haven't been bored lately."

"Really?"

"Really, you're not gonna believe this, but I met the Batman face to face just two days ago."

"Well isn't it a small world. I've met him as well, more than once in fact. How did you meet him?"

"It gets even stranger Mr. Wayne, you see Harley Quinn, the Joker's henchwoman, she was after me."

"That sounds awful! Why was she after you?"

"She thought I knew Batman's secret identity."

Bruce nodded. "I see. That is a valuable piece of knowledge, if it's genuine."

She laughed. "Well, it wasn't. But you know what's really weird? It wasn't the Bat who caught Harley. The cops told me that it was that strange witch from Jump City, Raven. I wonder what she was doing in Gotham."

"That's a very good question Miss Ashmore."

Lisa smiled. "Well, who cares? Harley Quinn is in jail and I can sleep at night again."

Bruce nodded. "You can't put a price on peace of mind, can you Miss Ashmore?"

She giggled. "No you can't Mr. Wayne, you really can't. Would you like some more coffee?"

* * *

Raven slowly rolled over and rubbed her eyes. The room slowly came into focus. She groaned as she sat up in the bed. Beast Boy was next to her, lying face down and not moving. Raven's shoulder felt sore and as she hopped out of bed it felt worse. She walked over to the mirror over the chest of drawers and examined herself. She had a nasty looking bite mark on her right shoulder and could clearly see where his fangs had left their mark. She raised her left hand to her shoulder and the blue light made its appearance.

_I guess we really did bring the house down._

As she healed herself she noticed that her arms and legs had bruises on them, but there were none on her torso. Once she finished healing her shoulder she walked back to the bed, noticing that the sheets and blanket were torn and ripped. She pulled them back and saw that her stud looked even worse than she did, as he was covered all over in bruises. It was then that she noticed the crack in the wall opposite the bed. The Manor was old and instead of sheetrock the walls were made out of strips of wood covered in plaster. Some of the plaster had fallen away, revealing the ancient wood strips underneath.

_I remember now. I threw him against the wall the one time he bit me too hard. He came back immediately. Was that for thirds or fourths? Oh Azar, he was good last night. Damn good._

Raven grinned. Sometimes it wasn't all that bad being a half demoness. Who else could be the perfect mate for a half beast?

As she examined his sleeping, naked body she cringed. She hit him a few times with her dark tentacles, and from the number of bruises on his body she had hit him perhaps a few times too many. She laid her hands on him and began to heal his bruises. He stirred immediately and raised his head from the pillow.

"Don't move Gar, I'm healing you."

"Healing?" He replied sleepily as twisted his body to look at her. He groaned loudly in pain.

"I said don't move."

"Yeah Rae, whatever you say." He replied as dropped back onto his pillow.

"How do you feel?" She asked.

"Like a bus hit me."

"I'm sorry I threw you against the wall."

"It's OK, it's my fault. I got carried away biting you."

"That you did." She deadpanned.

He let out a deep, contented sigh.

"Rae, last night, that was incredible."

"It was. But let's NOT do that again." She deadpanned.

"Yeah." He replied. "I was lucky to survive."

"Me too."

He turned and got a good look at her.

"Rae, you're covered in bruises!"

"So are you."

"We can't let the others see us like this!"

"Why not? I'm sure everyone heard us last night."

He grinned. "Well, that was the goal, right?"

"Look at your face Gar; you look like you were in a boxing match. And lost." She moaned as she began to heal his face.

"Alfred's gonna be pissed about the wall."

Raven sighed. "Don't worry, I'll tell him it was my fault."

He chuckled. "He does seem to have a soft spot for you."

"We'll see if he still does after he sees the wall. OK, you're done; I got most of your bruises." She informed him as she sat down on the bed and began to heal her remaining wounds.

"Rae, why did we do this?"

She shook her head. "I'm not sure. I guess when all else fails, stupidity can be used to explain anything."

"I suppose you're right Rae, you always are." He said as he made his way to the bathroom. "I'm gonna shower."

"Wait for me; I'll be there in a minute." She called back to him.

* * *

"Ivy! Rupert! My good amigo Bane! I see Harley was able to round up the posse. I knew I could count on her! Say, where is the old girl?" The Joker greeted his fellow villains.

"She was captured Clown!" Ivy hissed at him. "She's probably already in Arkham as we speak!"

"Oh well." The Joker replied. "Looks like she gets to suckle off the taxpayer's teat once again."

"You mean you're gonna leave her there jerk face?" Livewire snarled at him.

"Oh, don't you worry my little human capacitor. We'll get her out when the time is right."

"And when will that be Joker?" Thorne grilled him.

"Hooow am I supposed to know?" The clown replied as he laughed.

"First things first Joker. If you want my organization to help you eliminate the Bat then I'm calling the shots!" Thorne thundered. "We're doing this professionally. No stupid mime faced henchmen, no idiotic traps. This is going to be precise and systematic."

"Oh Rupert! You can be suuuuch a bore! Mr. Organization man indeed! Next thing you'll be handing out org charts!"

"I'm not kidding Joker!"

The clown's demeanor changed instantly.

"Then take a hike you Al Capone wannabe! I don't need your muscle!"

Ivy stepped forward.

"You might have a change of heart once you hear who captured Harley."

"Oh really, let me guess. It was one of those prepubescent Teen Titans. Big whoop!"

"No." Ivy replied. "While Raven did capture Harl I was about to rescue her when I was body slammed by Batgirl. It was like a Mac truck hit me. That isn't Batgirl Joker!"

Livewire snorted. "I knew it."

"So who is she then? C'mon Ivy, spill the jumping beans."

"I don't know, but I have a hunch that she's the Tamaranian."

"The Tama-what?" The Joker replied.

"The alien Titan you idiot! She's almost as strong as Supergirl!"

The Joker yawned.

Ivy frowned at the Crime Clown's arrogant mug. But then she smiled.

"And someone else was there Joker, an old friend of yours!"

"And old friend you say? Was it Professor Crane? Edward Nigma? Cobblepot? Come on Ivy; don't keep me waiting in suspense! Who was it?"

Ivy's smile grew wider.

"The Creeper."

The warehouse became so silent that a pin drop would have been heard.

"No! Not him! Are you sure it was him Ivy? He disappeared over a year ago! Maybe it was an impostor or a copy cat?"

"He punched a hole in a brick wall with his bare hands. He knocked the witch out with a single kick. But Batgirl knocked him out with a single punch."

"What happened after that?" He asked.

"The cops showed up and hauled Harl away to Arkham, while I made my escape."

"So what I happened to the Creeper?"

"I don't know." Ivy replied.

Bane spoke up for the first time.

"It sounds to me like you need us more than we need you, wouldn't you agree Joker? Or perhaps we should leave you to face the Bat, The Creeper and the Titans by yourself?"

"I'm listening." The Joker replied.

* * *

Once the Logans had finished preparing themselves for the day they emerged from their room. It was a bit late, and as they closed their door behind them they saw Alfred at the end of the hallway, making his way to their room.

"Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Logan. I'm glad to see that you are up. There is some breakfast waiting for you in the informal dining room. Her highness along with Masters Richard and Victor are already there."

"So Cyborg already arrived?" Raven asked.

"Indeed he did. Around 2 AM to be precise."

"Thank you Alfred." Beast Boy replied. "Raven and I better hurry before breakfast gets cold."

"A wise observation Mr. Logan. I will tidy up your room while you have your breakfast."

"Thank you Alfred." He replied as he took Raven's hand and they began to walk briskly down the hallway. Beast Boy heard Alfred open the door and enter their room.

"Run Raven, Run!" He shrieked as they took off running away as fast as their feet would carry them.

* * *

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! It is much appreciated.

My hit counter finally came back to life! Almost 500 hits today and over 200 for this story!

Next update will be next Thursday or Friday. I also promise it will be longer that this one!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

The R-Cycle blasted down the congested streets, zigzagging its way between the slow moving vehicles. It was late in the morning and the worst of rush hour was over but Robin wasn't in a mood to move at the leisurely pace the other drivers were following. He was noticed by pedestrians and motorists alike, many of whom stopped and pointed at the familiar crotch rocket.

What really caught the public's eye was that Robin wasn't alone on his signature motorcycle. Sitting behind him, with her arms around his waist was a red headed female clad in unusual armor. Those who got a good look at her could see that in addition to her battle armor she wore a peculiar "M" shaped piece of armor around her face.

Robin calmly guided the bike with a Zen like equanimity until they reached their destination. As he dismounted he noticed that the place of business was still closed.

"I guess we'll be their first 'customers' of the day when they open." He said as Starfire examined the sign that indicated the establishments business hours.

"We have arrived 15 minutes too early." She informed him.

Robin sat down on a bench on the sidewalk and Starfire joined him.

"Robin." She asked him. "Why did Bruce leave a note telling us to wait for him to return from Metropolis?"

"Because he's a control freak and he thinks we'll screw up if we do anything on our own."

"But Robin, you have been our leader for years. You have proven yourself to be competent. Why does the Batman not trust you?"

Robin scowled at the sidewalk.

"Because that's who he is Star. He wants to control everything. Why do you think I left? He still treats me like a kid after all these years. I really hoped that he would see me in a different light now. When he gave me the heirloom engagement ring to propose to you with I thought we had turned a corner, but I was wrong."

"Robin." She replied. "Do you still wish to be married? You seem so unhappy."

He looked at her with a surprised expression on his face.

"Star, Of course I do. Do you think I'm getting cold feet?"

She paused, as she processed the slang expression.

"Not the cold feet, but perhaps the slow feet my betrothed. Barbara told me something the other day; something that I know is true. We do not know what the future has in store for us."

"What do you mean Star?"

"Think about Raven and Beast Boy. As soon as they pledged themselves to each other they became mates. They did not wait for the 'right time' and do you know why?"

Robin shook his head.

"Because they do not know what the future has in store. They know that either of them might perish without any warning. It is like the expression "Carpe Diem" says: seize the day."

"Star, I still don't understand what you're saying."

He saw a tear drip down her face.

"I do not wish to wait any longer Robin. We have been waiting forever. Every night when I hear our friends make love I feel jealous, cheated."

"What do you want to do Star?"

"I want to stop waiting! Why do you think I have been slumbering with you? Do you not wish for more? Do you not wish to make me yours?"

Robin knew he was walking on thin ice, very thin ice and that a single misstep would spell disaster. He understood that this was not the time for negotiations, but he still had to try.

"Would you be OK with a simple ceremony, like the one Raven and Beast Boy had? Just a judge and a few guests?"

She replied immediately.

"Yes Robin. I do not need the royal wedding on Tamaran. We can do that later."

Robin knew his hand was empty; he had no choice other than to fold.

"OK, then. I'll speak with Alfred when we get back, he'll arrange everything." He replied.

She leaped to her feet and grabbing him under his arms swept him off the bench, swinging him around her effortlessly while a few passersby observed with amused expressions. She stopped spinning and Robin's feet once again touched the ground. The couple embraced tightly. After about a minute they released each other. Robin was grinning now.

"Plus it'll help Alfred take his mind off of what happened in BB and Raven's room."

Starfire giggled. "At first I thought they were fighting last night."

"Me too, for a moment there I thought they were going to kill each other." He replied mirthfully. "That is until Raven started screaming 'More Gar, More! Don't stop!'" He shook his head in disbelief. "She's insatiable Star, it's gotta be her demonic heritage."

Starfire began to laugh.

"You Earthlings have strange mating customs. Will we mate that way as well Robin?"

Robin replied with a suppressed laugh.

"I hope not! But don't forget who we're talking about Star. Raven and BB are hardly a 'conventional couple' by any stretch of the imagination if you known what I mean, but they are perfect for each other. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm really glad Terra ditched us, otherwise Beast Boy might have ended up with her instead."

Starfire continued laughing. "You are right my betrothed, they were destined for each other. They looked so embarrassed when Alfred asked them why there was a hole in their wall."

"And he looked peeved too. Well, at least we'll get some peace and quiet tonight since he's moving them to another room tonight."

Starfire continued to giggle and then pointed at the business's entrance.

"Look Robin, they have opened the door."

Robin stood up. "That's our cue. I just hope that Cobblepot is home." He turned to his fiancée. "Let's go Star; it's time for you to meet the Penguin."

She hooked her arm into his and together they entered the "Iceberg Lounge" as it had just opened for lunch. The menu was the last thing on their minds.

* * *

Cyborg hunched over Barbara as she showed him the interface to the mainframe in the Batcave. The bionic boy was drooling as Barbara described the interface protocols to him.

"This is so cool. I can interface my neural cortex directly into the mainframe by using the fibrechannel multiplexor that I just upgraded into my core processor. I don't need to use a keyboard or a display."

Raven and Beast Boy watched from a dark corner. Neither showed any physical sign of the previous night's encounter, which was a testament to the power of Raven's healing blue light. She was standing with her arms crossed, watching the two tech heads interact.

"So this is what Nerdvana looks like." She deadpanned to her husband, who gave her a forced and clearly faked double take.

"That was funny Raven."

"Well one of us has to be, and it isn't you."

"If you're thinking of becoming a comedienne, don't quit your day job." He harrumphed as he crossed his arms. He then felt a small hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry, old habits die hard." She apologized.

"It's OK; I know you were just kidding. So where did Rob and Star go?"

"Apparently to see the Penguin. Why? I have no idea."

The changeling nodded.

"Rae, ever notice how the Gotham villains are way more badass than the ones we have in Jump City? Sure we had Slade, but think about it, most of our bad guys are a joke."

"Thank Azar for small favors." She replied. "I sure don't mind that things have been easy back home."

"I wonder how Jinx and Kid Flash are doing back home."

"What do you think?" She replied.

"They're probably fighting."

"No doubt. Do you think they have a chance Gar?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"People used to ask the same thing about us." He replied. "What chance could a changeling and a demoness have, right?"

"I see your point. But they can't seem to stop fighting. Sure we used to fight a lot, but we were still kids then. We'd do things to each other just to get the attention." She deadpanned.

"So why do they fight so much Rae?"

"I have no idea. I will confess that I wasn't expecting Wally to propose to her when he did. He does seem to have a knack for timing things."

"She accepted without batting an eyelash. I know it doesn't matter Rae, but I just feel kind of bad that I never formally proposed to you."

"You shouldn't. I prefer the way we did it Gar. Becoming mates is much more than an act of sentimentality, something that is done on a whim. I know that the way we did it, through discussion, might not seem as romantic as having you drop onto a knee with a diamond ring in your hand. But when we agreed to bond for life you gave me something far more precious than any ring, you gave yourself to me."

Beast Boy drew his wife into a hug and kissed her forehead. She responded by resting her head on his shoulder.

"Yo, Logans! Cut out the lovey dovey stuff. Star and Robin just entered the Iceberg Lounge! And Robin's wired, so we can hear everything."

The couple released each other and made their way to the console where Barbara and Cyborg were waiting.

* * *

Robin noticed that they weren't the first ones to enter the restaurant. Starfire was wide eyed as her only experience with Earthly restaurants were the more causal establishments found in Jump City and Robin had not taken her out to more than a few of those anyways. A lounge singer crooned in the background to the accompaniment of a piano. The Iceberg Lounge was quite large and was still mostly empty as they approached the reservation podium, which was staffed by a tall, shapely woman wearing a leotard and a bowler hat. She eyed them critically as they drew near.

"I'm sorry, we're booked." She sneered at them.

Robin gazed at the ocean of still empty tables.

"We're not here for lunch. We're here to see Cobblepot." He replied tersely.

"Mr. Cobblepot doesn't see anyone without an appointment."

A slight snarl appeared on Robin's face.

"Then make one for us."

The woman, who Starfire saw was very attractive, picked up a phone handset.

"Bruno. I need some help up front."

A white gloved hand took the phone receiver from her hand and spoke into it.

"Never mind Bruno, I have everything under control."

The short, stout man handed the receiver back to the woman, who placed it back into its cradle. He stepped from behind the podium and removed the velvet rope that blocked Robin and Starfire's path into the club.

"My dear Robin, I would be honored if you and this fine young lady would join me for lunch."

He turned in Starfire's direction and bowed, removing his top hat as he did so.

"You must be the princess. Welcome to the Iceberg Lounge your highness."

"Your personal table is ready Mr. Cobblepot." The shapely woman informed him as she put down the handset for a second time.

"Wonderful." The Penguin replied. "Would you like an aperitif, some champagne perhaps?"

Robin shook his head.

"Of course, you're both still underage. Forgive me." He said as they arrived at the table, where he pulled a chair out for Starfire.

"Your highness, please have a seat."

_He's as smooth as ever._

"Thank you Mr. Cobblepot, you are a most gracious host." Starfire replied. "May I ask you a question?"

"By all means your highness."

"Why do people call you 'The Penguin'?"

Cobblepot stiffened at the question but recovered almost instantly.

"Your highness, that was an alias I used during my more unsavory days in the past. I am a legitimate businessman now; The Penguin is no more than a mere memory these days."

"Interesting that you should mention that Cobblepot. The word on the street is that you run a very profitable business fencing 'misplaced' jewelry."

"Yes Robin, I do buy used jewelry and gold on the open market. It's all above the table and perfectly legitimate I assure you."

"That's nice to hear Mr. Cobblepot." Robin replied as three waitresses, also attired in leotards and bowler hats appeared out of nowhere and placed salads in front of the three. "It would be a shame if Batman and I were to have to do some in depth investigation into this 'legitimate' business of yours."

The Penguin took a bite of his salad before replying.

"So what can I do for the original Boy Wonder?"

"Tell me about Bane and Thorne."

"What's there to tell? Bane keeps poisoning himself with his venom and good old Rupert is up to his usual antics: smuggling, racketeering, extortion, etc."

"Word on the street is that they're teaming up with the Joker. Any idea why?"

The Penguin cleared his throat before replying.

"Before telling you what I do know, let me remind you that I no longer run in those circles."

"I have no doubt of that." Robin replied cynically.

The Penguin laughed nervously.

"The word on the street is that they, along with dear Pamela Isley and that awful girl from Metropolis have indeed teamed up with the Joker."

"Why?"

"That I do not know, but if I had to wager a guess, it would be to fight the Batclan."

"We are not afraid of them, Mr. Cobblepot!" Starfire interrupted. "Batman and Batgirl will not face their enemies alone!"

The Penguin chuckled.

"That too is the word on the street, that the Teen Titans have come to Batman's aid. I for one am very glad to not be involved in this soon to be Gotham civil war. If it's not too much to ask, would you mind keeping the battle away from this part of town? It scares the patrons away."

Once again the three waitresses arrived with the entrees.

"I hope you don't mind that I ordered for you. It's our latest special." He said as he adjusted his napkin.

"Bon appétit!"

_

* * *

_

"_That I do not know, but if I had to wager a guess, it would be to fight the Batclan."_

"Well that's a big surprise." Raven droned as they listened in to the conversation over the radio.

"_Bon appétit!"_

"I'm hungry." Beast Boy added.

* * *

Another quickie update!

Did I scare you guys away with the previous chapter? Just 7 reviews? I'm wounded!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

Robin guided the R-Cycle back home at a slightly more leisurely pace. Traffic was even lighter now that the lunchtime rush was over and it was no longer necessary to weave between traffic to keep up a good pace. Starfire's arms were once again wrapped around his waist. As they made their way back to the Batcave a question was echoing through his mind. Actually many questions were occupying he rational mind: what was the Joker planning? How much information was the Penguin holding back? What was Bruce planning on doing next?

But the question that was at the forefront of his mind was one that came from the lips of his beloved princess: Why are humans drawn to lives of crime?

He had explained to her various reasons, from the scientific, to the philosophical to the religious.

The scientific reason was the easiest, if the least satisfying. He had explained to her that all humans had a selfish side. Fortunately most people also had a conscious which usually balanced out the selfish component of their psyches. They problem was that about 10% of all people lack a conscious to balance out their selfish side. Scientists were unsure of why this was but had a name for such people: sociopaths. Unlike psychopaths sociopaths do not experience any pleasure in causing harm to others but at the same time they felt no empathy for others either. So if someone were to become an obstacle to their goals they would feel no remorse in harming them to get them out of the way.

The thing about sociopaths, he had explained to Starfire, was that unlike psychopaths they could easily blend into the general population unlike the psychotics, it was easy for them to pretend to be normal people. They were usually involved in white collar crime and Bruce had once told him to never trust anyone from Wall St. as there were an unusually high number of sociopaths working in the investment banks and brokerages.

Starfire was clearly troubled by this explanation. She had asked Robin if their offspring could be born with sociopathic tendencies, without a conscience, unable to feel remorse for their actions. His only response was that he didn't know. He had then gone on to tell her that there was some doubt over whether or not they could even have offspring.

Telling her that had been a mistake. The Tamaranian already knew that there was a non trivial probability that the her DNA would be incompatible with Robin's own helix, but to learn that if they did succeed in conceiving that there was a chance, however small, that their child would be an individual with no sense of right vs. wrong. It was not as if this didn't happen on Tamaran, after all her own sister was proof of that, but it was extremely rare, considered to be a birth defect, a tragic outcome. On Earth however, it was something that was accepted as a fact of life.

He understood her nervousness; in fact he even shared it. It was bad enough for a normal person to be burdened with such a child and he knew how common it actually was. It wasn't usual for just about any family to have a "black sheep" in the fold. And it wasn't always insidious. Sometimes it was an uncle who was a dishonest used car salesman or some other kind of huckster. But sometimes it was bad, the cousin who was constantly in and out of prison, much to the embarrassment of the respectable family.

As Robin guided the R-Cycle into the Batcave's secret and hidden entrance he wondered why that prospect scared him more than facing any supervillain. The answer of course was obvious: a child would be part of him, a reflection of who he was. The thought that there was a small chance that a child of his could turn out to be a criminal would imply that there was an element of evil lurking within him.

_So that's how it feels like to be Raven._

Robin parked his motorcycle and along with Starfire he dismounted. He saw that Bruce had returned from his trip and was already in costume, even though it was early in the dayfor him to become the Bat. Raven and Beast Boy stood with him and Cyborg, gathered around Barbara and … Batgirl?

As they approached the crowd gathered around the console Batman, without turning to face them, addressed them.

"You're late." He deadpanned.

"We got caught in traffic." Robin replied in a sarcastic voice.

"Never mind." Bruce replied. "But first things first. Stephanie Brown has agreed to be Batgirl for an undetermined period of time. Dick, you never met Stephanie, she's a member of the extended Batclan and goes by the name of Spoiler."

Starfire stepped forward to shake Stephanie's hand while Robin watched. It was true, he had never worked with or met the Spoiler, but he knew that Stephanie and Jason had not only worked together, they had been close, very close.

"Glad to meet you Stephanie. Are you also a red head?"

She wasn't wearing her cowl and she raised it as she replied.

"No, I dyed it. I'd rather do that than wear a wig."

Robin nodded. "So, are you thinking of becoming the new Batgirl?"

She shook her head in reply.

"I already have an identity. Sure, I'll help Bruce out for now, but like you I enjoy my independence. I'll always be Spoiler. If Bruce is going to find a new, permanent Batgirl he'll have to ask someone else. What about you? Are you going to be Robin forever?"

He let a suppressed laugh.

"No. Not forever."

Barbara cleared her voice.

"OK, I just finished running a voice analysis on the conversation you had with the Penguin. He's hiding something."

"Will the surprises ever cease?" Raven remarked in her monotone.

"So what do we do now?" Beast Boy added.

"We pay the Joker and his friends a visit." Batman replied. "But first I need to check up on Jack Ryder."

* * *

"Well it's about time you listened clown!" Thorne shouted at him while Livewire was chatting quietly with Poison Ivy. The Joker scowled at the gangster. "And don't even think of double crossing me with one of your stupid tricks! If I see you even reach for your stupid gas flower or if you throw even one lousy card at me my boys will fill you with so much lead that you be classified as a superfund cleanup site, got it?"

The Joker was actually missing Harley at this point. He could always count on her to stand up for him at times like these, but she was locked away in Arkham. He was beginning to wonder who he should be more worried about, The Creeper or his new "comrades". And there were those pesky Titans and the Batman to deal with. No one had ever told him that it would be easy being the Clown of Crime, but this was perhaps the worst situation he had been in since he was flat broke and "King" Barlow left him that bogus inheritance.

"So what is YOUR plan Ruperto?" The Joker asked, hiding his displeasure with Thorne.

"I'll tell you what it is clown. We use our combined muscle and take down the Batman once and for all. We'll stage a robbery and ambush him. I have a few retail establishments that I use as fronts. I'll booby trap them all and once he enters one of them I'll blow it sky high. They aren't in my name so there's no way they trace it back to me."

"And what do you need us for then, gangster guy?" Livewire asked. "Sounds to me like you've got all the bases covered."

"I need you to stage the robberies. They won't come for ordinary thieves, so I'm having each one of you rob one of my stores. And while you're at it do a good job, and by that I mean clean the places out. They're all insured. There's no point in letting all that fine merchandise get ruined. The Penguin will pay me top dollar for it."

The Mistress of Electricity scowled at the underworld boss.

"Listen here fatso, I'm not your errand girl, got that? And I don't care about the Bat, my only beef is with the Batgirl."

"What about the changeling?" Ivy asked. "Isn't he also due for some payback?"

Livewire grinned. "He's kinda cute, so I'll let it slide this time."

"So you do like men?" Ivy teased her.

"Of course I do! What the hell kind of question is that?"

"Enough!" Thorne thundered. "I'm already regretting teaming up with you whack jobs. This is serious business. I can't believe I'm hearing! Fine, if you don't want to save the merchandise, I'll arrange to have most of it moved out."

Bane stepped forward, turning his venom dial up a few notches. As Thorne watched Bane's body began to swell and huge muscles appeared on his figure.

"Señor, do not bite the hand that feeds you. Do not forget, we are your partners and not your henchmen. We do not need you, and as for your 'boyz' they are no longer under your control, isn't that correct Miss Ivy?"

Pamela made a subtle gesture with her hand and Thorne's goons, still with their Tommy guns in hand emerged from the shadows in the warehouse. They had a strange blank appearance on their faces.

"Nice job Red!" Livewire congratulated her.

Ivy slinked up to a visibly shaken Rupert Thorne and while caressing his portly chin.

"Now it's true sweetheart that you have resources that we could use, but unless you're willing the play nice we'll just have to take them from you, and we wouldn't want that to happen, would we Rupert?"

The gangster clenched his fist but soon regained his composure.

"Fine! An alliance of equals. But once the Bat is taken down the deal's off!"

Thorne felt an arm around his shoulder. It was the Joker.

"Rupert, I'm so glad that we've come to an understanding! For a moment there I thought we were going to have to kill you. Fortunately you saw things my way."

Thorne frowned.

"So are we still following my plan?"

"If you want to Rupert, it will fail of course. Batsy has a nose for simple booby traps."

"I hate to agree with him, but the Joker's right Thorne." Ivy replied.

"I say we go for it." Livewire chimed in. "We might nail Batgirl and even some of the Titans."

"I thought you said that you liked the changeling dear?" Ivy teased her back.

"Meh! It's not like I'm dating him. Besides, I've done my homework; I know he's married to the witch."

Ivy shuddered. "Sometimes I just don't understand men, what would compel him to marry her of all people?"

Livewire shrugged. "What do I know? Maybe she's great in the sack?"

"Shall we get back to business?" Thorne interrupted diplomatically. "I have 4 stores closing tonight at 7. One is a diamond wholesaler; another specializes in precious metals while the remaining two are microchip wholesalers. If I know the Bat he and his gang will be getting ready to go on patrol after the sun sets, which tonight will be at 8:30. We need to hit all four places at the same time so they will separate. If we're lucky we'll take most of them down."

* * *

Alfred served dinner early that night and it was served in the Batcave. As usual the meal was exquisite and he made a special vegetarian entrée for Beast Boy, except for the salad Raven hardly touched her meal. She hadn't told anyone, not even her husband, that she had put on a few pounds during her few days at the Manor. She had overindulged in the fine meals that Alfred prepared on a daily basis. It was a contrast to the steady diet of pizza and junk food that was served back at the Tower, food which Raven usually avoided like the plague. But the bathroom scale didn't lie, and she would be damned if she would allow herself to get fat, even if it meant skipping Alfred's delightful meals.

As Alfred served the main course Robin cleared his throat.

"Alfred, Starfire and I need you to do a favor for us."

"Why certainly Master Richard, I am always at her highness's service. What may I do for you?"

Starfire replied.

"Dear Alfred, I wish to be married immediately to my beloved Richard. Would you mind arranging for a simple ceremony for us?"

Alfred dropped his serving tray, which still had a few entrees on it, onto the floor.

"Your highness! Are you saying that you will forego a proper royal wedding?" He shrieked. "Master Richard, if this is your doing …"

"Whoa Alfred, calm down!" Robin replied as he raised his hands in a defensive posture.

Starfire stood up and placed a comforting hand on the majordomo's shoulder.

"Do not blame Richard dear Alfred, it is my impatience that is to blame."

"B-but your highness, I don't know what to do. Do you wish to have a minister?"

"I think a judge will be fine Alfred. And as far as guests, we could invite the Titans East and maybe some Justice Leaguers, but keep it small."

"Small? I will do no such thing Master Richard!"

Robin chuckled. "Somehow, I knew you would say that."

At the other end of the table Raven and Beast Boy were whispering to each other.

"Well that didn't take long."

"It sure didn't Rae. At least they won't be complaining about us making noise at night anymore."

"No kidding, they'll be the ones keeping us up. I just hope Starfire doesn't snap him in half."

"Well, if you gotta go, I can't think of a better way."

She turned to him and smiled.

"That was actually funny Gar."

"Ha ha." He replied sarcastically as he stared at her plate. "Why aren't you eating?"

"I'm not hungry." She replied as she ran her hand down the inside of his thigh. "At least not for food."

"Are you asking me for a 'quickie' Raven?" He whispered even more quietly as his voice trembled.

"Would you like one?" She purred back at him.

Beast Boy took her hand and they stood up together. "Raven and I are going to rest before tonight's mission." He announced.

"Be here at 7." Bruce reminded them.

The chromatically challenged couple disappeared without saying another word as Raven phased them into the floor. Once they had vanished Bruce began to laugh.

"Are they always that eager?"

Robin nodded his head while biting his lip.

"I try not to think about it Bruce."

* * *

I wasn't going to post today, as it is my birthday. Don't ask how old I am; let's just say that AARP has started to send me mail.

I was inspired when I woke up, and I woke up early so I cranked this out. Think of it as my birthday present to you.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

"I try not to think about it Bruce." Robin replied, clearly embarrassed by his teammate's hormone driven behavior.

"Yo Rob, get over it. They're young and in love. Just be glad they're married man."

"They trashed their room last night Cyborg!" Robin replied indignantly. "Aren't you embarrassed?"

Cyborg laughed.

"So BB gave Raven too much sugar last night. She didn't seem any worse for the wear."

Starfire giggled.

"I find that expression to be most whimsical. Come Richard, I wish to get some of that 'sugar' myself."

"Star!" Robin yelped, turning a bright crimson red as he blushed. "S-she doesn't know that means Bruce, really!"

Starfire giggled some more. "My understanding is that it has to do with the kissing. Am I correct?"

Cyborg broke out into laughter. "Sure Star, why not? Now why don't you take Robin somewhere private and give him some 'sugar', I'm sure he wants some."

Robin glared at the tin man as he saw Bruce stifling a laugh out of the corner of his eye.

"Let's go Starfire." He grumbled as he took her hand and led her out of the Batcave, as those remaining had a good laugh at his expense. As they emerged from the Batcave into the manor she squeezed his hand and they stopped walking.

"Richard, did I embarrass you?"

"No." He replied. "You didn't do anything wrong Star. I'm just too anal and self conscious about all this."

"Anal? I do not understand. You are a rectum?"

Robin began to laugh. "It means that I want to control everything Star, that I want everything to be perfect. And when you misunderstand slang that has sexual innuendo I get frustrated and flustered when I should just laugh."

"I see." She smiled. "Do not worry my beloved; I do not feel the discomfort."

"Well, if you don't, then neither should I."

She giggled again. "Good, you are happy again. Let us go and do the resting before the mission."

He nodded, still smiling. "Good idea, this could be a long night."

They walked silently down the hall, hand in hand, and as they approached the Logan's room he stiffened.

"Alfred hasn't moved them yet."

"He said he would move their belongings tonight while we are away." She replied.

As the couple walked past the room they were greeted by silence.

"Huh? No symphony? I'm disappointed." He commented sarcastically.

"Richard, you worry too much." She chastised him as she opened the door to his room and entered. He followed behind her and closed the door. The two embraced and began to kiss tenderly but soon escalated their lip locking to a more passionate level. After a few minutes they paused, to literally catch their collective breaths.

"Richard." She spoke softly. "Do you love me?"

He peeled his mask off and tossed it aside.

"Of course I do. Star, you don't need to ask that question."

She cracked a huge grin.

"Good." She replied as she ripped the top of his costume off, casting its shredded remains aside.

"Star! What are you doing?"

"I want some sugar, my betrothed, and I want it now!"

* * *

Raven moaned softly as her husband gently kissed her shoulder, working his way to her neck. She wasn't even aware of the damaged sheets that remained on the bed from the previous night's encounter.

"I know I don't say this often enough Gar, but I love you." She moaned as he caressed her figure with his ungloved hand.

"You're my goddess Rae." He replied breathlessly as she slipped a hand behind her back to undo the clasp on her bra.

And stopped.

"Gar, am I hearing things?" She asked him.

He released her and morphed into a green German Shepherd, aiming his now super sensitive ears at the wall. After just a few seconds he returned to his human form.

"I don't believe it." He replied, clearly in shock. "Star's making Robin a man."

Raven listened carefully as the din from the other room grew increasingly louder.

"It's my understanding that honor belongs to Barbara Gordon." She replied.

Even in his human form Beast Boy's ears were hypersensitive. He continued to listen and recoiled in disgust.

"That's gross!"

"It's not any different from what we do Gar." She deadpanned.

By that point Starfire's shrieks of pleasure were piercing through the wall.

"Is that what we sound like sound like Rae?"

"I'm afraid so." She deadpanned.

Beast Boy was already slipping his uniform on.

"What are you doing Gar?"

"We're getting out of here." He replied as he handed Raven her leotard. She was about to protest, but didn't. The magic was gone.

"We'll get a new room when we get back tonight." She reminded him.

"Thank goodness." He replied. "I guess we can watch some TV or something. I wonder if there's a GameStation in the Manor."

"Probably not Gar, but they have a good library."

Beast Boy frowned. "Dude, this blows."

* * *

The motley crew of heroes began to assemble at 7 in the Batcave. Raven and Beast Boy were the first to arrive and were greeted by Barbara.

"Did you guys rest well?" Oracle asked them with a coy smile on her face.

"Not as well as Rob and Star did." The changeling replied in a disinterested voice as Raven elbowed him in the ribs.

Barbara deftly swung her wheelchair around to face the Logans.

"You don't say? Care to share any details?"

"Not really." Raven replied in her monotone. "If you're so curious why don't you ask them yourself?"

Barbara had never been the recipient before of one of Raven's signature death glares. She felt an icy chill run down her spine.

_In her case looks can kill._ She thought about the demoness. _Now I see why Bruce is wary of her. I guess Beast Boy is braver than he looks._

Barbara did not acknowledge Raven's not so veiled threat and wheeled her way back to the console as Stephanie and Bruce arrived. Within a few moments the remaining three Titans arrived. Starfire and Robin were holding hands as they came down the stairs. Barbara carefully studied Robin's face. Even with the mask there was no hiding it, she had seen that look on his face before.

_It's about time Dick._

As Bruce approached the conference table he slipped his cowl on. Bruce Wayne was gone, replaced by the Batman.

"What do you have for us Oracle?"

Barbara turned around.

"Word on the street is that Rupert Thorne is going to commit some massive insurance fraud today."

"How massive?" Stephanie asked.

"It's hard to say. What I do know is that Thorne is moving some pretty valuable merchandise out of some warehouse and retail outlets. Jewelry and some high end electronics, including a few million dollars worth of high end chips, including the new Maxx-8."

Cyborg received glances from the other 4 Titans.

"Knock it off; I learned my lesson, OK?" He grumbled.

"Who said anything dude?"

"Really Cyborg, if the shoe fits…." Raven droned.

Robin interrupted, steering the conversation back on course.

"What's so suspicious about moving merchandise Babs? Merchants do it all the time."

"Hidden in fruit crates?" She replied.

"I see." Robin replied. "How many places are we talking about?

"Four." She replied.

"They want to separate us." Batman replied. "It's clearly a trap."

"So what do we do?" Beast Boy asked.

"Thorne is clearly doing this in conjunction with the Joker and the others. I'm certain that other villains will be present as bait."

Robin frowned. "This seems too obvious Bruce."

"It is, but it has Thorne's fingerprints all over it. The businesses are technically not in his name and we can't prove they are even though we know they are. Their objective is to eliminate us of course, but Thorne just couldn't stand to leave good merchandise behind. He's no doubt intending to file claims on merchandise 'stolen' by the others."

"That's pretty greedy of him." Raven commented in her monotone.

"It is." Stephanie replied. "But Thorne didn't get rich by being sensible. He'll never pass up on a chance to kill two birds with a single stone."

"Here's the plan." Batman interrupted. "Raven and Beast Boy, you'll stake out the diamond wholesaler. Cyborg and Stephanie, you watch the gold jewelry distributer. Robin, you and Starfire stake out the computer memory chip wholesaler and I'll watch the Maxx-8 warehouse. We leave at sunset. Cyborg, you and Stephanie can take the old Batmobile."

"Sorry tin man." Stephanie whispered. "I'm driving."

Cyborg harrumphed, but didn't say anything else.

* * *

Robin and Starfire arrived silently in the dark. Starfire carried her new lover under his arms, his legs dangling while their faces were cheek to cheek. They both knew that stealth was of the utmost importance. As they approached the warehouse that was across the street from their target Robin scanned its surface with infrared binoculars. While there was no one present he could detect that someone had been there earlier as there were still faint infrared footprints on the rooftop.

"Hang on Star, let's not land yet." He whispered to his alien mate.

"As you wish my love."

Robin pulled out a strange looking device from his belt, about the size of a small mobile telephone. He turned it on and began to aim it at different parts of the roof, periodically checking the devices LCD display.

"The roof's crawling with surveillance equipment Star. If we land there, they'll know we've arrived."

"Shall I take us to another rooftop Robin?" She whispered back.

"No. They're expecting us to arrive. If we don't they won't make their move. But we need to be careful Star. We have to expect the unexpected."

"If we expect something, will it not become 'expected' Robin?"

"It's a figure of speech Star. It just means we need to be extra careful."

"I see." She replied as they quietly landed on the rooftop.

"Star, you watch out for any ambushes while I keep an eye on the store. Something tells me we won't have to wait long."

Starfire began to patrol the rooftop while Robin kept his eye on the establishment. The sign above the door said "Gotham Electronics Wholesalers." His prediction came true as within less than 2 minutes a white ice cream truck with a clown face painted on the side came around the corner and parked in front of the computer memory chip store. As he watched 3 goons, dressed in black with white mime makeup on their faces emerged from the vehicle. One of them raced ahead a placed a plastic bomb on the heavily fortified door and then ran back to the van. The explosion blew the door off its frame and the shock wave made Robin's innards reverberate. The three goons then rushed into the building.

_I wonder where the Joker is._

At this point Starfire was patrolling the rear of the building's rooftop and she turned when she heard the explosion. She could see Robin who turned in her direction and signaled her to continue patrolling. She nodded at him and resumed her patrol.

Robin returned his focus to the chip warehouse, waiting for the Joker to make his appearance. He began to feel nervous, wondering what the mad clown was planning. Suddenly as if on cue the Joker emerged from the van with a megaphone. He faced the rooftop where Robin and Starfire where hiding and he raised the device to his mouth.

"I told Rupert his plan wouldn't work." The Joker cackled as his voice boomed throughout the now deserted district. "You're way too smart to fall for one of his lame traps, aren't you Boy Blunder? But don't worry, I won't let you leave you disappointed. You see, I brought one of my own."

It was then that Robin noticed that the Joker had a remote control device in his hand. Robin threw a bird-a-rang at the villain's hand, but he knew it was too late. He turned around and opened his mouth to warn Starfire.

He wasn't quick enough as a deafening explosion erupted on the rooftop. Robin was momentarily blinded by the explosion's flash, his retinas saved by the shielding on his mask. The shockwave sent him flying and his right leg hit the rim around the rooftop and he felt his left tibia break from the impact, which sent him tumbling over the rooftop's edge, unable to see or hear as he fell several stories to the street below. He instinctively reached for his grappling hook and fired it. Miraculously it found a target and he began to swing. Still blinded he did not see the ground approach and slammed into it, rolling as unbelievable amounts of pain shot up through his left leg. Finally he came to a stop on his back facing the sky which slowly began to appear as his vision gradually came back. He could feel blood dripping from his ears and understood that his eardrums were ruptured and bleeding.

He tried to move but his body wouldn't respond to his commands. After a few minutes he saw the Joker approach him. He could see that he was laughing maniacally as he approached, even though he still couldn't hear a thing.

As the Joker approached his helpless form he knelt next to Robin and placed a playing card in his hand after which he gave him a friendly pat on the face. He then stood up and with a gesture of his hand he touched his forehead in a gesture of farewell and ran back to the ice cream truck and climbed aboard just before it sped away.

With great effort Robin rolled over, ignoring the pain in his leg to face the building he had been standing on. It had been reduced to rubble and there was no sign of Starfire anywhere. He then looked at the card the Joker had left in his hand. It had been placed face down in his palm and with great effort he carefully flipped it over. As expected the card was a Joker and it had some writing on it:

"You took my girl away, so now I'm taking yours. Fair's fair, right Boy Blunder?"

Robin tried to sit up but instead everything went black as he collapsed.

* * *

There! A good old fashioned cliff hanger!

Keep reviewing and I will update soon!


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

Raven and Beast Boy flew out of the Batcave, following Robin and Starfire into the dark nighttime sky. They stood together on the flying disk as they made their way to the warehouse district.

As they entered the warehouse district the two couples parted ways and the Logans headed north to the diamond wholesalers warehouse. They flew silently over the now deserted business park which just hours earlier was bustling with activity. Now, with the exception of a few night watchmen the district was as lonely as a graveyard.

Raven lowered her disk, flying just a few feet above the tarmac that the streets were paved with, close enough to see the steam rising from the storm drains in the chilly nighttime air. The two Titans remained silent as they cruised down the lonely boulevards, hiding in the shadows to avoid detection as they approached their destination.

The diamond wholesaler was located in a nondescript building, heavily fortified and without windows. There was no signage identifying it other than the address, which was labeled using the reflective stickers that were sold at hardware stores. The numbers weren't even aligned evenly.

Raven brought her disk down around the corner from the establishment and they hopped off the disk which vanished behind them.

"I'm sensing someone Gar." She whispered. "Definitely someone unfriendly."

"And I can smell him Rae, and he smells weird, artificial."

She nodded. "Bane." She replied. "Just our luck." She muttered in an unhappy voice. "We'll need to be careful Gar, even Batman wasn't sure of how improved his venom is."

"I'll go ahead and scout out the scene Raven, I'll be right back." He said as he spread his arms and began to morph into an owl.

"You be careful Gar." She hissed her warning at him as his conversion was completed. He turned his head at her and hooted softly before taking off.

He glided silently down the street, perfect in his avian stealth, making not a sound in his owl form. As he approached the building's entrance he noticed that the heavy steel door had been torn from its hinges and lay discarded on the sidewalk. Next to it was the prone figure of a night watchman. The owl alighted next to the man and resumed his human form. He placed his index finger on the man's jugular and found that he was still alive.

The green hero looked around cautiously, his ears twitching as he listened for any other presence. He could smell Bane; or rather he could smell Bane's Venom. He had to be nearby, but where? He saw Raven gliding over to him from the street corner. He nodded towards the opening with the missing door and Raven shook her head in reply as she softly landed next to him.

"You know it's a trap. He's waiting for us in there." She whispered.

"I know, but how do we get him to come out?" He replied.

"Leave that to me."

Raven quickly adopted the Lotus position and began to levitate above the sidewalk. The sodium streetlamp that was nearby was shining dimly and its yellow light gave her grey skin an even eerier complexion. She softly chanted her mantra, just barely above a whisper. Within moments her soulself emerged from her body and the obsidian doppelganger made its way to the diamond warehouse, passing through the walls as if they made of mist.

Beast Boy frowned. He never cared for this little trick his wife performed. He stared at her motionless and uninhabited body, which for all practical purposes was a human vegetable while she was away. He knew that the fear was irrational but he couldn't shake the dread that something might happen and she would never return. Of course nothing could happen to her soul self; it was immortal just like his own soul. Their bodies on the other hand, those could be destroyed…

Just as Beast Boy shook away the troubling thought he heard a ruckus inside the building. As he turned he saw the wall in front of him crumble as if a tank were crashing through it. While it wasn't a tank, it was probably deadlier and more powerful than any armored vehicle.

Beast Boy gasped as he recognized Bane's incredibly bulky and muscular figure. He made Mammoth look like a weak kid. As he stared at the villain he noticed that the two eyes peering through the mask were focused on Raven's still form.

"Now I have you bruja!" Bane shouted as he charged at Raven's defenseless figure. Beast Boy saw Raven's soul self emerge from the far end of the building, rushing back to her body. Beast Boy knew she would never make it in time. Morphing into a gorilla he leaped at Raven's figure and snatched it from its midair perch. He then leaped up onto the side of the building and began to climb, desperately trying to put distance between the Latin villain and his helpless wife.

Bane growled as he saw Raven's soul self racing back to her body. He could also climb, but not as quickly as the green gorilla. As he looked down he grinned and slammed his fist into the pavement. As he retracted it he had a manhole cover in his hand, which he threw at Beast Boy like a Frisbee. Beast Boy was barely able to dodge the flying disk which embedded itself in the side of the building, lost his grip and began to fall.

He desperately tried to latch onto something, anything as he tumbled down the side of the building. His huge simian hand was finally able to find a brick that was sticking out from the side of the building. He let out what could at best be described as a simian sigh. As soon as his grip stabilized he glanced at his beloved's limp form. With no warning she opened her eyes.

"I'm back Gar." She whispered to him. At this point his was holding her with a single hand, which was so big that it wrapped around her waist as if she were a doll. He relaxed his grip and she levitated away.

"Let's get him Gar." She deadpanned. He snorted in reply and releasing the brick he was hanging onto he leaped away from the build, heading straight for Bane. As he approached he raised his arms and gave a jungle roar worthy of King Kong.

Bane stepped back and allowed the oversized gorilla to land in front of him. The two opponents were of the same size but Bane surprised Beast Boy with a powerful backfist srike across his face, sending the green gorilla flying into a wall, where he fell to the ground, dazed and back into his human form.

"You are not much of a Beast, are you 'Chico Bestia'?" Bane taunted the changeling.

In her fury Raven swooped in and switched to a flying side kick position, her heel aimed at the back of Bane's head. Unbelievably she bounced off of Bane's head as if he were made of solid steel. He quickly spun around and swatted her away. Fortunately there were no walls for Raven to crash into and she landed on the street's asphalt, scraping her bare legs as she rolled to a stop.

"You aren't much of a witch Senorita." Bane taunted her. "But you are pretty for a bruja."

As Bane completed his taunt he felt strong hairy arms grab him and he was raised high above Beast Boy's head. The changeling was now a green Sasquatch and he slammed Bane into another wall with all his might. The effort looked impressive as Bane went right through the wall, but to the changeling's surprise he came charging right back out and returned the favor, creating a third hole in the wall. Beast Boy staggered out from the gap in the wall in his human form and collapsed to his knees.

"You're going to regret that Bane! I'm going to teach you a new meaning for the word 'pain'!" Raven roared as she grew in stature and tendrils began to emerge from under her cape. Much to her surprise Bane didn't even flinch, but instead reached for his pocket.

"A gift for you complements of the Joker." He announced as he threw what appeared to be dozens of marbles at Raven.

Raven smiled her demonic serrated grin. Bane didn't know that in her current form she didn't have to breathe, that she could hold her breath nearly indefinitely. This time the Joker gas would do no good against her.

Much to her surprise the marbles began to explode around her with a force that affected her altered state of being. She was blinded by the blasts which were followed by even more explosions. Suddenly she saw a huge fist appear out of nowhere and was struck in the face. She fell back and against her will she resumed her normal humanoid form. Her nose was broken and bleeding profusely and she could barely see anything as she fell to the ground. Bane picked up a large piece of concrete and rebar that he had knocked from the wall earlier. He lifted it above his head and walked up to Raven's still prone form.

"I always hate having to kill a pretty senorita, but you leave me no choice bruja!"

As Bane prepared to slam the slab of concrete down onto Raven he heard the air rush behind him. In a flash he was tackled by a green blur which slapped the concrete away.

Bane looked up at his attacker.

"La Bestia! I was wondering if you would come!" Bane replied as he began to grapple with Beast Boy's fearsome alter ego. He was not daunted and broke free from the Beast's grip and began to strike back at him. His blows, while powerful, did not overwhelm the Beast who struck back with an uppercut that sent Bane flying into another wall. He was back on his feet immediately.

"You are a worthy opponent amigo. It is a shame that I must destroy you. Under different circumstances we might have even been friends."

Bane reached for the dial on his right arm and turned it as far as it would go. Instantly he began to swell and grow until he was more than twice as large as the Beast.

"Shall we continue my friend?" He asked as he made the 'come and get me' gesture with his hand.

The Beast lunged at Bane and once again the two began to grapple with each other, neither having the upper hand. At times the Beast dominated the struggle and at others Bane did. Fierce blows were exchanged but neither opponent backed off.

Soon though the injuries Beast Boy had incurred in his prior forms began to take their toll. Bane saw his opportunity and struck him sending the Beast tumbling.

Bane began to laugh.

"Give it up amigo. You cannot defeat me!"

The Beast did not take kindly to Bane's idle threats. He crouched, preparing to launch his counter strike. Suddenly, Bane screamed in a mix of surprise and pain.

"WANNA BET!" Raven shrieked in a strange plugged up voice. The Beast the saw Bane's venom tubes, encapsulated in Raven's black energy, being torn to shreds. His heart sank as he saw Raven's beaten, bloodied face, but it didn't shrink as fast a Bane did.

Returning his attention to the now nearly normal sized Bane the Beast connected a powerful uppercut to Bane's jaw, knocking him out cold. Satisfied that he was victorious Beast Boy resumed his default human form. He was bruised and limped as he ran to his wife.

"Rae, are you OK?" He asked as he wiped the blood from her face. His hand grazed her broken nose and she flinched from the pain.

"Who would have thought that a broken nose could hurt so much?" She replied as she drew him into a hug.

"I wonder how the others are doing." He asked. Before Raven could reply a loud explosion was heard in the distance.

* * *

This must be the longest single scene I've ever written.

Thanks for reading a reviewing.

I won't do a mail bag today, but will respond to a review from maddyjade (chapter 14)

"Not a very eventful chapter but I love your work so much that I don't really care. ;D And by the way.. crotch rocket?"

Crotch rocket is slang for those racy Japanese motorcycles.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

The mood back in the Batcave was somber. Raven and Beast Boy had retreated to the shadows, where they quietly embraced each other as they were consumed with grief and worry. Cyborg paced around, grumbling over their misfortune. Stephanie and Bruce were standing beside Barbara, still in costume while the new Oracle of the Batclan sifted through clues and leads that were pouring in as she tried to locate where the Joker had taken Starfire.

Robin was lying unconscious on the hospital bed in the Batcave's medical bay. Raven had done her best to heal him but her powers only went so far. As when she had last healed one of his broken bones, when he crashed his R-Cycle chasing Johnny Rancid years before, the best she could do was heal it so it was only a hairline fracture. She had also been able to mend his ruptured eardrums but they too would require extra time to fully heal.

The only consolation that night was that in addition to Bane being captured Livewire had been apprehended by Cyborg and Stephanie. The Mistress of Electricity had become so obsessed with capturing Batgirl that she ignored Cyborg, which proved to be her undoing. If anyone understood the properties of electricity it was the tin man, and he set up a simple but elegant trap that grounded Livewire and drained all of her electrical reserves.

Batman had faced a greater challenge with Poison Ivy, who attacked him with an army of strange half human, half vegetable creatures. That battle had been moving at full speed when the explosion was heard. Without any warning Ivy retreated leaving behind only some of her old school vines to hold Batman off while she vanished. Bruce then proceeded in the direction of the explosion and was the second to arrive at the scene, the first being Jack Ryder and his news crew.

Raven and Beast Boy emerged from the shadows and approached the console where the senior Batclan members were gathered. Stephanie was the first to turn and see them approaching. Beast Boy still had a mild limp from his encounter with Bane even though Raven had done her best to heal him. She had also repaired her broken nose but her face still looked a bit swollen. Stephanie could tell that she had been crying as well.

Bruce handed the Joker's calling card to Beast Boy, who sniffed it carefully. He shook his head and handed it to Raven.

"I might have a spell that can help us find Starfire." She deadpanned as she stared at the playing card.

"It can wait." Batman replied. "We need to rest and recover. I know those spells can be rather draining Raven."

She gave Bruce a quizzical look that said 'How would you know?'

"Zatanna." He replied. "She's told me a great deal about the mechanics of magic."

Raven stiffened upon hearing the name of the Sorceress. Zatanna began as a mere stage magician and had actually become a true sorceress. Raven didn't hold that against her, in fact she felt a great deal of respect for the woman's accomplishments. But it was no secret that Zatanna did not like Raven. She had spread the word that Raven was a half demon and could not be trusted.

"I see." Raven replied. "I suppose the spell will be more effective after I rest. I just hate waiting."

"We don't have to hurry." Batman replied. "The Joker is going to use her as bait to draw us into another trap, especially you Titans."

"So what's our next move?" Cyborg asked. "Do we just sit and wait?"

"Hardly." Batman responded. "Oracle is combing the city for clues, which we're reviewing as they come in. But the two of you had a grueling fight with Bane. A job well done I might add, but you both need some rest."

Raven nodded.

"And what if there are no clues that lead us to Starfire?" The changeling asked.

"The Joker will contact us, but I hope to find them before it comes to that."

Beast Boy took Raven's hand.

"Let's go to bed Rae."

The empath released his hand and wrapped her arm around his waist while he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"We'll see you guys later. If anything happens, come get us, even if we're asleep."

"Don't worry BB, I'll come wake you guys up if there's any news." Cyborg reassured him. "You two get some rest."

Beast Boy nodded as they exited the cave, heading up the stairs back into the mansion.

"No bedroom gymnastics for them tonight?" Stephanie whispered to Cyborg.

"That's a pretty safe bet." He replied.

* * *

"Let me out!" Starfire shrieked as she pounded her fists on the thick titanium walls that her prison cell was made of. She had been at the rear of the roof top when the explosion occurred. Fortunately, unlike Robin, she had incurred no serious injuries and was merely knocked out by the explosion. The last thing she recalled was hearing the Joker's voice over a megaphone just moments before the explosion.

"What happened to Robin? Tell me, you cowards!"

Starfire was doing her best to hide the panic she was feeling. She remembered that the explosion occurred close to where she was, so Robin was hopefully far away at the time and had not died in the blast. She cursed the fact that humans were so frail and could not stop worrying about what might have happened to her mate.

A voice over a loudspeaker interrupted her train of thought. It was laughing. She frowned as she instantly recognized the voice. It then addressed her.

"Don't you worry your pretty little alien head my dear. The Boy Blunder took a rather nasty spill when he fell off the building, but he survived I'm afraid." He then broke out into more maniacal laughter.

"Release me coward!" She screamed as she fired her eyebeams and threw Starbolts at the door, which resisted the barrage.

The Joker laughed even louder.

"Now, now my dear Star-fryer, that wouldn't do! If I let you go why would any of the others come to my party?"

"Your trap will fail! We will be victorious! I will not cooperate with you!"

* * *

The Joker flipped the loudspeaker switch off.

"She's a feisty little minx and a looker too. I'll have to admit, the Boy Blunder has good taste. To be honest I always thought the gray witch was more his type though. They're both overly obsessive and neither of them likes to laugh." He snickered.

Poison Ivy was sitting on a chair and looked displeased.

"We lost Bane and Livewire Joker. Why the hell are you so damn cheerful? It's just you and I against all of them."

"Pamela, my dear, you worry too much."

"Listen clown! I don't want to go back to Arkham! Let's forget all this ambush nonsense. Let's offer to trade the Tamaranian for Harl. Then we can disappear."

"Disappear? DISAPPEAR? Where would the fun be in that?"

"Rotting in Arkham isn't my idea of fun Joker." She hissed. "Plus I want to get rid of her. My spores have no effect on her alien body chemistry. If she breaks out of that cell we're toast, there's no way we'd be able to control her. And how did you find this place?"

"My pal Lexy built it."

"Lex Luthor? He's letting you use this place? And what did he build it for?"

The Joker threw up his hands in a mock apologetic gesture.

"Well, I didn't actually ask Lexy for his permission."

"Great, so now we have Lex Luthor on our tails as well."

The Joker leaned back in the office chair he was sitting on and kicked up his feet on the control panel.

"He abandoned this place years ago. He built it as a place to imprison captured aliens and study them. It never got used; he was afraid Batman would find it and tell Superman. It's been mothballed for years. By the time Lexy finds out we made ourselves at home we'll be long gone."

"Whatever." Ivy replied in a cross voice. "I still don't want to take on the Batclan and the Titans together, even if Robin is out of commission for now. And what about Thorne?"

The Joker made a dismissive gesture with his hand.

"He's too busy filing fraudulent insurance claims. The man has no imagination Pamela."

"Really? He seems to stay out of jail, unlike us. And he's filthy rich."

"Pamela, this isn't about money."

"Don't tell me you actually care about the environment Joker. Now that would make me laugh." She replied.

"Of course not Pamela. Keeping the world a safe place for vegetables is your crusade. But you'll never succeed as long as the Bat's around."

Poison Ivy sighed. He was right.

"OK clown, so what's your plan?"

"Well, first we need to let them know that we're taking good care of the girl. We'll need a video camera … now where is it? Harley always takes care of these things for me. I never thought I'd say this, but I do miss the little imp…"

* * *

Cyborg carefully opened the door and quietly entered the room. It was dark and if not for his bionic eye which allowed him to see in spectra that ordinary organic eyes could not he would have found himself groping in the dark. He switched his eye to the infrared bandwidth and could clearly see around the room.

He found them immediately, sound asleep in the four post bed. He smiled as he saw them snuggled together in their bed. They looked so peaceful he thought. He understood why they had decided to pair up so young. At times like this one it had to be a great comfort to have each other. When they first became a couple two years before he had figured that it was just the hormones talking, but he quickly learned that it was a lot more than that. He had seen his buddy mature almost overnight and Raven had changed as well. She was still the dark sorceress he had grown to love but she seemed a lot more at ease. Still, seeing her sound asleep with her head on the grass stain's shoulder made him want to shake his head in disbelief. It seemed like only yesterday when they constantly bickered, and now they looked so peaceful.

The bionic man sighed and stepped closer to the bed, ready to end the blissful scene before him. He reached out and touched Beast Boy's shoulder.

"BB, Raven, you need to wake up."

Raven's eyes popped open and she bolted out of bed, dark energy forming around her fists.

"Oh it's you. Haven't you ever heard of knocking? I would think that after Robin's 'accident' that you would know better than to just barge in here." She chastised him as Beast Boy slowly sat up in the bed.

"I'm sorry guys, but you need to get up. We got some news about Starfire."He replied as walked to the door. "We're all in the cave." He added as he shut the door behind him.

"Wait!" Raven called out too late. She sat back down on the edge of the bed and sighed softly.

"Don't worry Rae, we'll get Star back." Beast Boy reassured her as he sat down next to the grey sorceress.

"I'm afraid Gar. I'm really afraid."

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"We all are Rae, but Star's pretty tough. She'll be OK, you'll see."

"It was a bad idea to separate." She said in a weak voice. "We were lucky Gar. Had we been on that rooftop the explosion would have killed us." She sighed. "Now we don't know where she is or what's happened to her. I should have objected Gar, I knew this would happen. I should have spoken up."

Beast Boy grabbed Raven by the shoulders and gave her a mild shake.

"It wasn't your fault Raven! Robin's our leader and if anyone should have spoken up, it should have been him."

She nodded. "I know. I guess I'm worried about the news."

She reached for her costume and started to dress. "We'd better hurry Gar."

* * *

The Logans were the last to arrive. It was 3 in the morning and they could tell that they were the only ones who had rested at all.

"Are you feeling better?" Bruce asked Raven.

"Yes, I am. I should be able to perform the spell perfectly now."

"I'm glad you're feeling better Raven, but we won't need your spell. The Joker has told us where to meet him."

"He did?" Beast Boy asked.

"He sent a message to the police, which was forwarded to us via the Batwave." Oracle informed them.

Beast Boy noticed that the hospital bed was empty.

"Where'd Rob go?"

"I'm over here Beast Boy." A voice called from the area of the cave that housed the gym. The Logan's turned at the same time and saw Robin doing pushups. They ran over to him, both with cross looks on their faces.

"Dick, get back into your bed. You still have a hairline fracture in your tibia." Raven hissed at him. "It won't take much to break it again. And if you break it a second time I won't be able to heal it."

Robin gave her a determined look, one that said he wasn't backing down.

"Dude! You're in no shape to go save Star. We've got it covered."

"You haven't seen the video yet." He murmured back at them. "Watch it Beast Boy, and tell me that if that was Raven you wouldn't do anything to rescue her."

Beast Boy swallowed hard before answering.

"Rob, do you remember when you and Slade went to go find Raven in Trigon's pit?"

The Boy Wonder nodded.

"Dude, I wanted to go. I wanted to save Raven. But you were the right guy for that job and I wasn't. It didn't matter how much I loved Raven nor how badly I wanted to see her again. I had to step aside because it was the right thing to do. You need to step aside now Rob. You're hurt and if you get injured again you could jeopardize the mission. I know how worried you are about Star, but it's best if you don't come."

Robin tuned away so they couldn't see his face as tears dripped out of his mask. He knew the changeling was right, but that didn't make it any easier. How could he not go rescue Starfire? He would go even if both his legs were cut off.

"I-I don't want to lose her. I can't lose her. I'd rather die." He stammered as Raven placed a hand on his shoulder and kissed him on t he cheek.

"We aren't going to lose her Robin. She's coming home and that's a promise." She deadpanned.

Robin hugged Raven tightly.

"Thanks Raven. You guys better go watch that video."

Raven released him and after giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder she and Beast Boy walked over to the console where Barbara was sitting. Beast Boy nodded and she pressed a button to start the playback.

"Brace yourselves."

The video started up with the Joker dressed as a pest exterminator standing in front of a curtain.

"Hello friends! Tamaranians got you down? Tired of dodging starbolts? Fed up with their super human strength? Not to mention their atrocious syntax!" He chuckled before continuing. "Well, you've come to the right place friends. My new and improved Joker Gas not only knocks them out, it neutralizes their powers!"

The Joker pulled on a velvet rope, opening the curtain. Raven and Beast Boy gasped at the sight that greeted them.

"You're a dead man clown, a dead man." Raven growled. "I'm going to take great pleasure in killing you."

Beast Boy stared incredulously at the image on the screen. Starfire was dangling from her shackled wrists. She was naked and had been beaten savagely as the countless bruises and dried blood on her body bore witness to. Her head was slumped over as she was unconscious.

"I understand Rob, I understand." Beast Boy whispered before he turned to his wife.

"We're gonna make him pay for this Rae, I don't care what Bruce says."

* * *

Wow! This is the longest I've gone between updates lately! I've been busy.

Thanks for the reviews.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

Barbara looked over her shoulder and saw Raven's face. She gasped as she had never seen her like this, with 4 glowing red eyes and serrated teeth. She quickly turned her attention back to the screen.

"So Batsy." The Joker continued talking during the video playback. "Are you going to come and get her? You know the Boy Blunder can't, unless you bring him in a wheelchair." The Joker chuckled malevolently. "You'd better hurry Bats; I'm not sure how many more beatings the princess from the stars can endure."

Beast Boy felt pure unadulterated rage surge through him. He opened his mouth to speak but all that came out was a guttural growl. His fangs had grown and he played with them using his tongue. His hands had grown razor sharp claws, cutting through his gloves and he was now a whole foot taller than Raven. He was feeling the blood lust and would have gladly bitten the Joker's head off given the right opportunity. He continued to growl until he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Yo B, calm down. We're gonna save Star and teach that clown a lesson he'll never forget, but we have to keep our cool man, otherwise we're just playing into his game."

Beast Boy's expression changed and he backed off, shrinking back to his normal size. Clenching his fists he spoke.

"I know Cy, I just … I mean … who would do something like that to Star?"

"A madman, someone who is long overdue to be taken down." Batman replied.

The video continued playing.

"So here's the deal Batsy. I have a new Ha-Ha-Hacienda and you're invited to the party! And don't forget to bring the kids; it's going to be to DIE for!" The Joker erupted in maniacal laughter as a map showing where he was located quickly flashed on the screen.

"That's outside city limits." Raven commented in her monotone, now fully back in control of her emotions. "That's not his style."

"It's not." Robin replied. "What is that place Bruce? I thought there was nothing out there."

"Lex Luthor built it a few years ago, just after you left when I had a joint venture to build robots with him. He claimed that it was an ordinary facility, but never allowed me, his partner, to visit the site. So Batman tried to take a closer look. The place is fortified, an impenetrable fortress. Needless to say, I was never able to break in."

"So what is Luthor really doing there?" Cyborg asked.

"Nothing." Batman replied. "He mothballed the place years ago. One thing I do know is that those buildings are for show. The real complex is underground."

"How big is it?" Beast Boy asked.

"It's hard to say. Judging from the amount of dirt they removed from the site it could be as much as a square mile."

Cyborg whistled. "So how do we get in there? The place has to be as impregnable as Fort Knox."

"There are no guards, but there are plenty of robots guarding the place. I have no idea how the Joker was able to get in there, but apparently he did."

"So what's the plan?" The grey sorceress asked.

"I'm glad you asked Raven." Batman replied. "Can you teleport us in there?"

* * *

Poison Ivy watched the insect like robots scurry around the hallway in the underground fortress. They came in all sorts of sizes. Some were no bigger than a household cat while others were as big as elephants. What was amazing was that they all obeyed the Joker's every command without question. Some were servants, like the one that was serving her some tea with cookies. Others were busy cleaning while the more sinister ones had laser cannons and other weapons built into their bodies.

"How many droids are there Joker?"

The crime clown grinned before replying.

"Almost a four thousand my dear Pamela." He replied as he checked a screen that had detected an intruder earlier. It had turned out to be a bear, but he thought that was no excuse and chuckled as he stared at the poor creature's smoking carcass while a few warrior droids withdrew, their mission accomplished.

"And over a thousand are like the ones that fricasseed that bear. I can't wait for Batsy to show up! He's going to looooove my new toys!" He concluded his tirade with a prolonged laugh.

"So how do you control these things clown?"

The Joker sat down on an office chair and leaned back with his arms behind his head.

"A few years ago Lexy and that local blowhard Bruce Wayne formed a partnership to build these robots in Metropolis. Brucie wanted to used them for 'peaceful purposes' like space exploration and when he found out that Lexy had military uses in mind for them he cancelled the project."

"How do you know this Joker?"

"Don't you remember Pamela? When I went to Metropolis?"

"Oh yes!" She recalled. "You stole a huge piece of kryptonite that was carved into a Chinese dragon."

"That's right, and I offered to kill Superman if Lexy paid me a billion dollars."

"And you failed miserably!" Ivy growled. "And to make things even worse Superman and the Bat became friends, all because of you!"

"Yes, yes, sometimes the unexpected happens. Anyway, Lexy hid all his remaining robots here, after claiming he had destroyed them as his contract with Wayne demanded."

"Yeah, yeah, but why do they obey you?"

"Oh, that's very easy to explain. Back then Lexy gave me the codes to control the robots, so I could use them against Batman, who showed up at the most inopportune time in Metropolis. I swear he has no sense or boundaries or propriety!"

"You're one to talk."

The Joker laughed before responding. "True, but in my case it's just a big joke."

Ivy frowned. "Tell that to the Tamaranian."

The Joker made a mock expression of shock.

"You've always had a soft spot for other women. Are you a lesbian Pamela? Is that why you keep trying to steal Harley from me?" He teased her.

"No!" She thundered at him. "I rescued her from you! You hate women Joker, I can tell. I saw how much you enjoyed beating the Tamaranian."

The Joker snickered.

"You've got it all wrong Pamela. Why I'm the very role model of non discriminatory, equal opportunity crime! I only beat the girl because that's who we captured!"

"You had Robin too, but you left him behind."

"Yes, that's true, but he was already broken, he wouldn't have lasted very long. The alien girl on the other hand, she can take a lickin' and keep on tickin'"

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a sadist?" She accused him as she crossed her arms.

The Joker broke out once again into riotous laughter.

"I wish I had a dollar for every time someone told me that. I wouldn't have to rob any banks."

"Ha ha, very funny, not." She continued to grumble. "So what's the plan? You do have one? And by that I mean a plan that doesn't involve dynamite laden pies or other stupid ideas."

The Joker frowned.

"Do I ever make fun of the way you do things?"

"All the time, if I recall correctly."

He tapped his chin before replying.

"I guess I do make fun of your plans! But if it's a plan you want then you came to the right place!"

* * *

"I'm glad you asked Raven." Batman replied. "Can you teleport us in there?"

"Not from here, we'll have to get closer. Do you have any idea of where to teleport into inside that complex?"

Batman replied. "Knowing the Joker he's keeping her in the deepest, most remote part of the complex. And there will be plenty of traps along the way. Barbara has found out that the place is crawling with robots."

"Dude, he has to know that Raven can teleport."

"There's no doubt of that. It's a certainty that Starfire is heavily guarded, which is why we're going to have to draw the guards away from her."

"That won't easy Batman." Cyborg replied. "Those robots are gonna be programmed to stay with her no matter what."

"I know. Those robots are a product of a joint venture between Luthcorp and Wayne Enterprises."

"So you're saying that they have your tech in them?"

"They do. I had my people put a failsafe in them. But there's a catch."

"You mean we can shut them down?" Raven asked.

"We can, but we'll need to hack into whatever network they're connected to get access to the failsafe mechanism. Once we do that we can shut all the robots down."

"Piece of cake." Cyborg boasted. "I should be able to do that with my eyes closed."

"Don't get too overconfident Cyborg. Knowing Luthor there are only a handful of access points. We'll have to cover you while you hack into Luthor's system. Rest assured, Luthor has the best encryption systems in place. This won't be easy."

"And let's not forget that the Joker and Poison Ivy will be there too." Robin added.

"So we're up against an army of killer droids and two super villains." Stephanie remarked.

"Big whoop!" Beast Boy interjected. "We've fought robots before."

"These robots are far more dangerous than anything Deathstroke ever built." Barbara informed the group. "They're comparable to those alien robots you fought once with the silver skinned alien Val-yor."

Beat Boy's ears drooped. "Those guys were tough!"

Barbara brought a map up on the giant screen. "Here's the best place to stage the attack from …"

Robin watched from a distance as the combined team gathered around Oracle and began to strategize the best way to attack. He shifted his weight from his good leg to his partially healed one. He felt a faint twinge of pain shoot up his leg. He knew Raven was right, that he was in no shape to join the rescue mission. Still, he couldn't get the image of Starfire's beaten body out of his head. He had overheard Raven and Beast Boy comment to each other that they were going to kill the Joker. He couldn't allow them to do that.

Because he was going to kill the Joker himself.

Alfred approached him.

"Is there anything you need Master Richard?"

The Boy Wonder shook his head.

"Not now Alfred. I'm going back to my room to rest. Would you mind letting me know when the attack begins? I want to be in the Batcave when that happens."

"Of course Master Richard. Do get off that leg. Mrs. Logan is quite right that it's still most delicate and could easily break again."

"I know Alfred. It's killing me to have to stay on the sidelines, but it's what I have to do." He lamented as he began to make his way out of the Batcave.

"Do rest well. It should be two hours before they are ready."

Robin nodded and made his way up the stairs out of the Batcave, heading off to his room. His lone footfalls echoed on the immaculate hardwood floor in the hallway, slowly picking up the pace as he approached the door to the sleeping quarters he shared with his Tamaranian fiancée.

His eyes narrowed as he opened the door and entered the room, quickly closing the door behind him. He then headed for his closet and extracted the medium sized suitcase he had stored in it, dropping it on top of his bed. Using his magnetic key he unlocked and popped it open, revealing the treasure trove it contained.

Before rummaging through the suitcase he reached under the bed and pulled out a leg brace that he had removed earlier from the Batcave when no one was looking. He snapped it on to his lower leg and fussed over it, adjusting it several times until he was satisfied that the fit was nearly perfect.

He shifted his weight from leg to leg and jumped up and down several times. The extra support wasn't perfect but it was good enough. He then turned his focus back to the suit case on the bed, from which he loaded up on his standard arsenal of weapons: birdarangs, explosive disks, freezing disks, gas and smoke bombs, several retractable bo staffs, grappling hook guns, etc.

He then withdrew something unexpected. He pulled out 4 of the laser pistols that Slade often equipped his robots with. Robin had modified them himself and they were an order of magnitude more powerful and deadly than the originals.

He was wearing two utility belts to carry his comprehensive arsenal and stored the pistols in the second belt before snapping the suitcase shut and storing it in his closet. He then pulled some extra pillows out of the closet and made a makeshift dummy in the bed. If he was lucky Alfred would not rouse him until the rescue mission was over. He was counting on it.

Ready to proceed, he left his room and made his way to the garage, where he hoped to find his old Suzuki motorcycle. He stealthily made his way across the manor, hoping that Alfred was still down in the Batcave. The Fates smiled upon him as Alfred nowhere to be seen. Soon enough he was in the garage and as he had hoped his old motorcycle was still there. They keys were behind Alfred's garage desk, hanging from one of many hooks on the wall. Retrieving the key he ran to his old crotch rocket, grabbing it from the handle bars. Rather than open the garage door he pushed the motorcycle out a regular door and coasted down the long driveway until he reached the gates. Knowing that the gates were wired into the security system he didn't open them. Instead he started his motorcycle and took off down the long hedge that bordered the Wayne estate, looking for something. His hope was not in vain as he found the dirt ramp he had built a long time ago. He smiled as he gunned the engine and zoomed towards the ramp.

He flew up the ramp and was airborne, sailing over the tall hedge and landing on the deserted road on the other side, quickly disappearing into the darkness.

_I'm coming Star, I'm coming._

* * *

Sorry for the delay. I was writing this chapter while watching World Cup matches this morning, so I hope it isn't too incoherent.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

Robin had parked his motorcycle a few miles from the compound entrance and hid it in some thick foliage. He pulled a map out of his belt and studied it, nodding to himself as he put it away. Several tall hills stood between him and Luthor's abandoned campus. The area was surrounded by a thick forest and the hills were steep. He didn't dare ride his motorcycle any closer to the entrance, knowing well that it was watched carefully. He wouldn't be entering that way.

As he made his way up the first hill he clicked the GPS build into his communicator on and used it to find his first milestone: the lake that locals would sneak in and fish at. As he worked his way into the forest he soon encountered the chain link fence that marked the compound's perimeter. He kept himself at a safe distance from it, making sure to avoid detection.

After hiking almost two miles along the perimeter his leg brace was beginning to bother him and he would have loved nothing more than to remove it and give his leg a good scratch, but instead he soldiered on. Soon enough his persistence paid off as he reached a place where several pieces of the fence had been cut away, clearing a path to the small lake on the other side.

The Artificial Intelligence system that controlled the campus's security had learned to ignore any locals who entered that way, having determined that they were not to be considered a threat and only wanted to fish at the lake.

Robin removed his cape and slipped on a disguise to hide his traffic light costume. Armed with a fishing rod he had brought along he made his way through the fence and to the lake which was a whole mile inside the property. He walked briskly and soon enough he was at the lake's shore, where he set up his fishing rod before wandering off into the forest, climbing up another hill.

Once he reached the hill top he found that he was just a few hundred yards from the main campus building. The concrete structure was drab and gray looking; Luthor had not built it with winning any architectural awards in mind.

The main entrance to the building was guarded by several of the insect like robots. Robin recalled how the Joker had tried to use them against Batman when Bruce Wayne had paid his then partner Lex Luthor a house call. Robin had read the reports that Alfred had forwarded to him. The robots were deadly, of that there was no doubt, far more dangerous than anything Slade had in his arsenal. They were fast, heavily armored and well armed. The more dangerous models had lasers and missiles. Getting past them was not going to be easy.

As Robin continued to study the situation and weigh his options several of the robots came to life and took off running at high speed. It was remarkable how fast their insect like legs could transport them. They were headed off towards another hill in the opposite direction from his location. The Boy Wonder pulled out a small pair of binoculars and began to scan their destination. At first there was nothing to be seen but after a few tries he saw what the robots were after. He saw the telltale blue and silver coloring of his teammate Cyborg flash between the trees. He continued to look and was soon able to see Raven and Batgirl.

He snapped his folding prismatic lenses shut and stowed them away in his belt, after which he withdrew two other items from his arsenal. The first one was one of Slade's modified laser pistols and the other was a ring, a holoring.

Cyborg had given Robin the ring some years before so that he and Starfire would be able to go out together on dates without being recognized. He had never used his ring, and had instead just disguised himself with civilian clothes and sunglasses, while Starfire had indeed used hers. He put his ring to better use, or so he thought.

Robin had modified the ring. He had done this not to change the fake appearance it gave him. No, he had changed the ring so he would have no appearance at all. It wasn't a perfect invisibility ring, far from it. There was a clear rippling effect, a distortion that would be easily evident to anyone who happened to look in his direction. But now that there were only two robots left guarding the entrance the imperfect shroud that the ring provided was all he needed.

Robin slipped the ring on and stealthily emerged from the forest without making a sound. His past training with the True Master was paying off as he quickly approached the building's entrance. The robots did not detect him as he emerged from the forest. He had the laser pistol ready in his hand, the robots still oblivious to his approach until he was at point blank range. The first robot swiveled its three eyed head in his direction and locked onto Robin's position, but it was too late as the Boy Wonder opened fire.

He shot the first robot in the head, destroying its eyes and sensors with his first shot. The pistol recharged in 2 seconds and he got the second shot off, blasting the mechanical arthropod's head right off its body.

The second robot reacted immediately and fired in Robin's direction, unable to lock onto the somersaulting youth's blurry body. The laser salvos missed the young Titan by inches but when Robin returned fire his aim was perfect. He first hit the robot's laser and disabled it, after which he demolished it with several consecutive shots.

Robin rolled into the building's reception area and found it unguarded. He examined his laser pistol and after finding that it was spent he discarded it before continuing on into the bowels of the building.

* * *

"Well, there goes our surprise attack." Raven said stoically as the marauding robots rushed over to their location, quickly covering the half mile that separated them from the main entrance. "So what do we do now?"

"We go in!" Cyborg replied. "He knew we were coming. It doesn't matter."

"You ready Rae?" Beast Boy asked her. She nodded in reply.

"Let's retreat back into the depths of the forest. I don't want them to see us teleport out of here. I want them to look for us." Batman ordered his team.

As ordered the team quickly retreated into the forest as the robots made their approach, firing missiles into the forest, setting it on fire. Soon the entire hill was ablaze and the central Artificial Intelligence, satisfied that it had eliminated the threat ordered the robots to return to the lobby.

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit storage room inside the compound a black hemisphere appeared and dissipated, revealing the three Titans and two Batclan members. Beast Boy shivered. He loved his wife, but still hated her ice cold dark energy. The room was as quiet as a graveyard.

Batman broke the silence.

"We need to find a data port, and quickly." He ordered his team as he cracked the room's door open and surveyed the hallway. "The coast is clear, let's get going."

* * *

Oracle sat in her wheelchair, monitoring the console while Alfred stood behind her.

"They're in!" She announced. "I hope this goes well."

"I suppose I should go and retrieve Master Richard." Alfred replied.

"Let him rest. What's he gonna do besides pace around and curse that he should be there helping them?"

"I see your point Miss Gordon, but I did promise him that I would wake him when the time came."

Barbara swiveled her wheelchair around to look at the majordomo.

"Alfred, what will happen to him if we fail? How will he take it?"

He looked away before answering.

"I don't know Miss Gordon. There has already been too much tragedy in this household recently. Master Richard has always been an enigma to me. But I suspect that it would destroy him. If the unthinkable happens you need to be there for him."

Barbara turned her chair back to the console.

"I have nothing to offer him Alfred. I'm paralyzed below the waist; I'm not even a woman anymore."

"That is not true Miss Gordon, but in any case what he will need is a friend, not a lover. You are the right person for that job. Let us hope and pray that it not come to that."

"Amen Alfred, Amen"

Alfred placed a friendly hand on Barbara's shoulder.

"I'll go and see Master Richard now."

Alfred walked up the stairs back into the Manor. His heart was heavy. He always worried whenever Master Bruce faced the Joker, and this time was no different, except that the stakes had never been quite this high, at least not on a personal level. He knew that if disaster struck again that night that he, Master Richard and Miss Gordon would be all that was left of the Batclan. He thought of the young Logans, recent newlyweds at their tender age. If they were normal youngsters they would be college students, their biggest worry would be surviving midterms. But they were superheroes and they would have to survive something far more sinister than school exams, they would have to endure whatever traps and surprises the Joker had in store for them and he worried that they might not be up to the task.

Alfred reached the door to Master Richard's room and sighed. Perhaps Miss Gordon was right and it would be best to leave him undisturbed. Without even thinking Alfred opened the door and entered. The room was dark and some moonlight was shining through the window. He could see Master Richard's slumbering form under the covers and he stood still at the door.

_I'm sorry Master Richard, but Miss Gordon is correct, you do need your rest._

As silently as he had entered Alfred left the room.

* * *

People tended to think of Jack Ryder as a 'pretty boy' journalist, a handsome talking head who reported the news that real journalists uncovered. But they would be wrong, very wrong.

Jack had just returned from the Stacked Deck, where he had an encounter with 'Matches Muldoon'. Jack had learned earlier about Starfire's abduction by the Joker and had learned that he was hiding at the old abandoned LuthorCorp complex outside of town. He also knew that the place was crawling with strange and deadly robots, automatons which were known for killing the local wildlife. He had tried to find a way to get into complex, legally of course, to do some investigation, but there were no sympathetic judges who would issue a search warrant to the police.

Of course he knew that the lack of a search warrant wouldn't stop Batman, but even with the help of the three remaining Titans that he and Batgirl would probably be overwhelmed by Luthor's army.

Ryder paced along his balcony, listening to the sounds of the city below. A city that the Joker had terrorized on more than one occasion. Had it not been for the Batman it was nearly certain that the Joker would have unleashed his deadly mayhem with impunity. He could not be allowed to win; he had to be defeated at any cost.

Ryder reached over and searching underneath his shirt he ripped off the patch that kept him a sane man, an ordinary man. He tossed the patch over the balcony's edge and watched as it floated downward, occasionally getting caught in a thermal. It almost looked like a bird as it flew away until he could see it no more.

As Jack Ryder walked back into his penthouse he began to snicker, first slowly but soon enough he was roaring a maniacal laugh.

The Creeper had returned.

* * *

Sorry for this super short chapter, but it was the best I could do at the time.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

The Creeper had been patrolling the streets of Gotham when he saw Robin blast by on h is motorcycle, running through a red light. There was another biker at the intersection, who stared at the Boy Wonder as he continued to zoom down the streets at speeds close to 100 miles per hour, which is why he did not see the stranger who leaped off the top of a nearby building and landed next to. The unsuspecting civilian suddenly felt a vise like grip on his shoulder as he was lifted from his motorbike, which fell to the floor.

"I need some wheels, but it's for a good cause!" The Creeper chortled as the biker stared in horror, recognizing his assailant. The Creeper tossed him aside after which he picked up the motorcycle, a late model Harley-Davidson and took off on it.

Robin was almost a mile ahead of the self proclaimed "yellow wacky man" but with his heightened senses he was able to track him without being noticed by Robin. He followed him to Luthor's mothballed campus, staying hidden and followed him in. He watched as Robin demolished the two sentries and followed him in before the expeditionary force that had gone out to confront the Titans was able to return.

Unlike Robin he had no shroud to hide him from the cameras, which was fortunate for Robin as several alarms went off as the Creeper entered the lobby.

* * *

The Joker was still kicking back in his executive chair, bragging to Poison Ivy about how perfect his plan was when an alarm went off. Jumping to his feet he ran to his control panel and saw that a small group of people had been detected on a nearby hill. He also saw that several Mark III sentries had already been dispatched to intercept them. The leading sentry focused on of it telescopic lenses and the Crime Clown saw Raven and Beast Boy standing at the edge of the wood on the hill.

"That couple gives me the creeps." Pamela remarked dryly.

"You and me both." The Joker replied. "Oh look, there's Batsy, Cy-bore and the Bat Brat. I guess the Boy Blunder had to stay home."

As they watched on the high definition screen the invaders retreated into the forest, which within moments was pelted with a barrage of incendiary missiles.

"I guess we don't have to worry about them anymore." That Joker announced with a grin worthy of the Cheshire Cat on his face as he plopped himself back into his chair.

"You can't be serious Joker. It's never been that easy with the Bat. And don't forget, he has the Titans with him, especially the witch."

"Ray-bans? You give her too much credit Pamela, she's just a kid."

"No she's not Joker. They might still call themselves the Teen Titans, but they're all adults now. And even when she was a teenager she was pretty formidable. It's too bad she didn't take more after her father, she would have made a good ally."

As the Joker dismissed Pamela's protest with a wave of his hand the console came back to life, this time with a audible alert.

"_Warning, warning. Both lobby sentries have been destroyed. Repeat. Both lobby sentries have been destroyed."_

"What did I tell you?" Ivy hissed. "You underestimated them."

"It can't be, how did the approach the lobby without being detected?"

"I told you her powers were not to be dismissed! So what are you going to do?"

"Uh, I don't know, the AI was everything. Oh look, it's dispatching more droids to the lobby. We'll be fine Pamela. They'll take Batsy and his friends down."

"I hope so Joker, I'm not interested in returning to Gotham. But if your robots can't stop them then we're doing things my way!" She growled.

The Joker let out one of his signature maniacal laughs. "You worry too much Ivy dear."

"And you don't worry enough clown!" Se retorted as a second alarm went off.

"_Warning, warning. Intruder alert. Repeat. Intruder alert. Intruder is in the main lobby."_

The Joker waved at the screen.

"Now Pamela dear, watch how my robots destroy the intruders."

What the Joker saw next made his heart freeze. It was the Creeper, who was effortlessly destroying the robots faster than they emerged into the lobby.

"It's him Pamela, it's him!" The Joker screamed in terror. "How did he find us?"

"Who is he Joker? I was in Arkham the first time he appeared. I saw him at the Stacked Deck and he clobbered Raven good."

"Who cares who he is? He a maniac Pamela! We have to get out of here!"

"We Kemosabe? My understanding is that he's after you."

"If I go down, you go down!"

Ivy scowled at the clown.

"We started this together and we're going to finish it. If we bail we're going to be on the run, or do you think t the Titans will forgive us what we did to the Tamaranian?"

"But the robots can't stop him."

"Then I guess they'll need some help."

* * *

"Ok, the coast is clear." Batman informed the team. Cautiously they emerged from the storage room and made their way down the now deserted hallway. Soon they reached a corner and peeking carefully around it they found one of the few and precious data ports they were looking for. Unfortunately it was guarded by two sentries. The team retreated to a safe distance.

"How do we get past them?" Cyborg complained. "Sure we can destroy them, but the AI will know that we're here and send reinforcements."

Beast Boy was scratching his chin and suddenly snapped his fingers.

"I have an idea. Batman, the AI, what would it consider to be an intruder?"

The Dark Knight nodded, understanding where the changeling was going.

"It would identify humans as targets. It's quite possible that one of your animal forms would confuse it. Maybe you could lead them away?"

"Oh no!" Raven interrupted. "And what if they start shooting? Gar would be a sitting duck."

"I'll be OK Rae." He replied as he morphed in to an ankylosaurus, with its massive bony armor protecting him.

"Oh all right." Raven moaned. "But you be careful!"

Beast Boy responded with a deep grunt and proceeded down the hallway making his way around the corner. As he approached the data port the two sentries turned to face him, but did nothing. As he got closer they began to shuffle about, but make no threatening moves against him. Beast Boy lumbered past the station they continued to observe him but made no move to follow him.

The changeling, still in dinosaur form paused. He needed to get them to follow him. Destroying them was not an option as he would then be identified as a threat and reinforcements would soon arrive. He then had another idea. He continued to walk and made his way around another corner. Moments later a loud crash was heard and the two sentries went off to investigate.

"What is he doing?" Raven asked in a worried tone.

"Whatever it was, it worked. They're both gone." Batman replied as they hurried to the data port. Cyborg was the first to arrive. A cable came out of his forearm and plugged itself info the data port.

"OK, I'm in the system. Now I just have to shut down the AI."

"How long will that take?" Raven asked.

"I don't know. I'm working on it."

Raven glided over to the other corner and carefully peeked around it. Her heart froze as she saw Beast Boy, still in his dinosaur form, surrounded by a least a dozen droids and more continued to arrive. He had knocked over some shelving that was in the hallway, spreading its contents all over the floor. Some of the droids were cleaning up the mess he made while the rest continued to observe him. Clearly the AI could not make heads or tails of this thing in the hallway, but Raven was worried that at some point the AI might decide to shoot first and ask questions later. Quietly she glided back to the data port.

"Tell me you're almost done. Gar is surrounded by dozens of those robots and more are arriving." She whispered to the tin man.

"I'm not sure that I can shut the AI down guys."

"Then what do we do?" Raven hissed back at him. "Gar doesn't stand a chance against that many robots. If they start shooting they'll kill him."

"Cyborg, can you create a distraction?" Batman asked.

"Hey, that's a good idea." Cyborg replied. Suddenly there was a loud clattering coming from where Beast Boy was. Alarmed, Raven took off flying to defend her beloved. Before she reached the corner and much to her surprise Beast Boy came around the corner, in his human form. Raven wrapped her arms around him.

"What happened?"

"I dunno." He replied. "They just all took off."

"There's an intruder that came through the lobby … wait a second … it's … The Creeper?"

"Ryder!" Batman snarled. "What the devil is he doing here?"

"Who cares?" Cyborg replied. "The Joker's instructed the AI to send every droid available to stop him."

Stephanie gasped. "That means that Starfire is unguarded."

"That's correct." Cyborg replied. "Raven, can you sense where she is?"

Raven closed her eyes and focused.

"No, I can't. She's probably still unconscious."

"It's OK, I found her. Here's the coordinates."

"Go get her Rae." Beast Boy chimed.

"And once you have her, take Starfire back to the rendezvous and do whatever you need to heal her." Batman added.

Raven nodded. She hugged and kissed Beast Boy.

"Be safe." She told him.

"You too Rae."

Raven kissed him again before phasing into the ground and disappearing.

* * *

Robin continued to work his way into the fortress like campus. He had a map that he had printed back at the Batcave that indicated Starfire's most likely locations, and he had a long way to go. At first he took advantage of the stealth that the holoring afforded him and he quickly make his way to the lower levels without being detected. Early on he noticed that robots were all headed to the surface, which both puzzle and concerned him. Still he pressed on began to search for Starfire. While he had a hunch that she was located on the lower level he had to proceed methodically of there was to be any hope of finding her, so he began to canvass the targeted rooms on level 3.

He moved as briskly as he could and noticed that his leg was beginning to hurt from all the running he was doing, but he did not slow down as he knew that time was not on his side. The more he lingered the greater the chance that he would be detected. He noticed that there were few robots in the lower levels and they were merely maintenance droids. Still he did not wish to be detected and continued his search as fast as he could go.

He came up empty handed on levels 3 and 2 and was now running down the stairwell to level 1, which was the lowest level in the complex. It was also the largest with the most rooms to search.

As he exited the stairwell his heart sank as level 1 was literally crawling with heavily armed sentry droids. At least he now knew that this is where she was being kept. He knew that it almost a certainty that the Joker and Poison Ivy were holed up somewhere nearby.

At this point Robin didn't care about duty and capturing the villains. He just wanted to find his girl and get her safely out of there. As he ran from room to room he realized that he had no idea of how he was going to get her out of there without being detected, as he didn't have a ring for her.

He shrugged off the unpleasant thought, reminding himself that he would cross that bridge when he got to it. Right now all that mattered was finding Starfire. He continued to work his way through the dozens of rooms that Level 1 contained. It was at the end of a particular hallway that he found a room with a locked door, the first one that he had encountered so far, which struck him as odd. The door was a heavy affair, made out of steel which he couldn't for open. Deciding to throw caution to the wind he pulled out one of Slade's modified laser pistols and aiming at the door's lock he fired. The lock melted away and using his healthy leg he kicked the door open just in time to see Starfire, draped in Raven's cape phase into the floor with the sorceress, who had her back to him and did not see Robin enter the room. Before he could say anything Raven and Starfire had vanished.

_Oh well, she's in good hands, now all I have to do is get out of here._

That was when the alarm began to blare. The door was wired and as he kicked it open he triggered the alarm. It was then that Robin heard a buzzing sound and noticed that the holoring was quickly changing colors, until it died. Robin raised his hand and saw that he was no longer invisible.

He knew he was in trouble. Deep trouble.

* * *

OK, I'm back, at least with this story. Sorry for the brevity, but I promise to update over the weekend.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

Beast Boy raised his communicator to his ear, hoping to be able to hear whoever was on the other end over the klaxons that were now blaring. He cupped his other ear and focused carefully, nodding as he listened.

"Good job Rae!" He shouted into the radio. "I'll let the others know." He stared at Raven's face on the tiny display for a moment before he mouthed the words 'I love you', after which he flipped the communicator shut.

"Rae found Star and got her out. She says that Star looked a lot worse in the video that she actually was, and that she'll have her healed by the time we get out of here!" He shouted above the din.

"Excellent work." Batman replied in his own signature monotone. "Stephanie and I are going after the Joker. I don't expect you to help us, this isn't your fight."

"Like hell it ain't!" Cyborg bellowed. "The clown hurt my sis. He isn't getting away with that, not if I can help it. Are you with me grass stain?"

"You can count on it Tin Man!" Beast Boy roared his agreement.

"Very well, but just remember this isn't about revenge. The Joker will use your emotions to his advantage, so keep them in check. Understand?" The Dark Knight replied.

"Loud and clear Batman." Cyborg responded.

The group of four heroes proceeded to the nearby stairwell, cautiously watching out for any stray robots. As they made their way Batman gave them a quick briefing.

"The Joker and Poison Ivy are almost certainly barricaded on the bottom level. Luthor installed a command center there and it's heavily barricaded. We'll need to quickly break into their bunker because as soon as we try that the AI system will recall more sentry droids to defend the Joker and Ivy."

"That shouldn't be a problem Batman; my sonic canons should do the trick." Cyborg replied.

"Yes, I know, but there's going to be more. Since Poison Ivy is involved we should expect some of her tricks as well. This includes but is not limited to her spores and her vines. We will need to proceed with caution."

They were ready to enter the stairwell to begin their descent into the bowels of the complex when the door flew open on its own. Dozens of green humanoid like beings, which bore a striking resemblance to Poison Ivy, emerged from the stairwell. They were a dark shade of green and had sharp spines protruding from all over their bodies. Batman withdrew several herbicide bombs from his utility belt and threw them at the vegetable based monsters. A thick blue cloud engulfed the living vegetation and they were obscured momentarily until they emerged, clearly unaffected by the super strong weed killer.

"They must be a new strain; they're immune to the herbicide." Batman shouted out.

"No problem!" Beast Boy shouted as he prepared to morph. "We'll take them down the old fashioned way!"

"No Garfield!" Batman shouted as he signaled for his team to retreat. "The spines are full of a deadly toxin, one that can kill you in a matter of seconds. We can't engage them in hand to hand combat. Even if you armor yourself, all it will take is for a single spine to find exposed skin and Raven will be a widow."

Beast Boy's eyes grew wide and he quickly withdrew as Cyborg shot the nearest green zombie with his sonic cannon. The monster began to swell and exploded, sending its spines flying in all directions. The four heroes were barely able to take cover in time and avoid the deadly needles.

"That's all I got Batman!" Cyborg shouted. "Do you have any tricks up your sleeve, because I'm all out!"

"I have a few." The Dark Night replied as he retrieved a few capsules from his belt and hurled them at the plant creatures that were now getting close to them. The capsules hit the floor at the creatures' feet and large flames appeared as the capsules disgorged their small loads of napalm.

The plant creatures quickly caught fire and began to burn, drawing a 'boo-yah' from Cyborg while the monsters wailed in an otherworldly manner. Unfortunately his reverie was short lived as the automated fire suppression system kicked in. By this point the Napalm in the capsules was spent and the fire suppressing foam that shot out of the overhead sprinklers did their trick.

"Dude, we're boned!" Beast Boy shouted.

"No, we're not!" Stephanie shouted as the creatures, which were now coated in the foam began to fall down and began to dissolve. In less than a minute they we just puddles of green goop.

"Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good." Batman commented dryly as he rushed to the stairwell, followed by the others. "We have to hurry; they know we're getting close."

* * *

Robin took a quick glance into the hallway and saw that every sentry droid on the level was converging on the room where he was still hiding. He knew that they would be there in seconds. He quickly scanned the room to find another exit, but found none. He couldn't flee, so he prepared to fight.

Arming himself with 6 bird-a-rangs he charged out of the room, throwing them at the approaching robots. The red and gold colored weapons found their targets, slicing through the insect like legs of the nearest droids, which fell to the ground unable to continue walking. The boomerang like weapons returned to Robin who threw them a second time, and they found new targets, slicing them down as well.

Unfortunately, while the robots could no longer walk, their weapon systems still functioned flawlessly and they began to fire at the Boy Wonder. Robin leaped out of harm's way but the barrage of lasers and bullets did not stop. He removed two of the laser pistols out of his utility belts and began to shoot at the droids while he continued to leap and tumble to avoid their fire. His leg throbbed in pain as the stress it was under exceeded the protection that the leg brace afforded his injured extremity, and he gritted his teeth to suppress the shriek of pain that wanted to escape his lips. Fortunately his aim was excellent and he was steadily taking the droids down one by one and reinforcements were not arriving.

The pain in his leg was becoming overwhelming as he destroyed the last droid on the level. He stopped to catch his breath and take the weight off his injured leg. He examined his pistols and saw that they too were now empty, their energy cells depleted. He tossed them aside and removed the remaining laser pistol from his belt.

It was then that it dawned on him why there had still been so many droids on the level: The Joker and Poison Ivy were nearby. Robin knew that he would be able to escape from the complex and he wanted to do nothing more than be reunited with his beloved.

But he also knew that Jason's blood and Barbara's spine were crying out for justice. He couldn't just walk away and allow the Joker to escape. He knew what he had to do. Robin shifted his weight back onto his wounded leg and winced in pain as his nervous system informed him that he was in no shape to continue fighting. But Robin knew that sometimes you just can't listen to the pain. He then did something that he had been planning on doing only as a last resort. He extracted from one of his belts an object that looked like a small tube with a short needle on it. After deliberating for a moment he jabbed it into his throbbing leg and squeezed the tube. Within seconds he could feel the morphine begin to take effect as the pain, while still present, was now dulled. He knew that his perception, reflexes and motor skills would be compromised by the drug, but he had a job to do.

He then ran off in search of the bunker.

* * *

Poison Ivy watched the monitors in horror as her army began to dissolve under the fire suppressing foam.

"Joker! What's in that foam? It's killing my babies."

"What do I know? Lexy never told me! And if you ask me Pamela, you have an unhealthy attachment to your veggies. Didn't your parents ever teach you to not play with your food?"

Poison Ivy glared at him.

"How can you be so jocular at a time like this? The Creeper is trashing all your robots, the Bat's on his way down here and we have no lines of defense left."

The Joker grinned.

"I wouldn't be so sure about the Creeper." He replied as he flipped a switch. One of the monitors changed its view and a sentry droid could be seen carrying the limp form of a scantily dressed man.

"Looks to me like the Creeper ran out of gas and turned back into a pumpkin. I wonder who he really is." The Joker commented as he grabbed a microphone and raised it to his lips. "Sentry, show the man's face."

The droid complied immediately and turned the supine figure over, revealing his identity. The effect of the chemicals had at least temporarily worn off and the Creeper no longer had green hair or his unnatural yellow complexion.

"That's Jack Ryder!" Poison Ivy shouted. "No wonder he has a vendetta with you, you tried to kill him."

The Joker's face fell.

"This means I created him!" He paused. "Oh well, it doesn't matter anymore. After we're done with him he won't ever laugh again. Now I know why stole my style!"

The Joker pressed a few more buttons on the console while Pamela watched.

"What are you doing clown?"

The Joker snickered. "I'm sending the remaining droids after Batsy and his friends. I do want to give them a proper welcome." The Joker said as he switched the view on another monitor, which now showed the four heroes making their way to the stairwell.

"See? There's Batsy, the Bat Brat, Cy-bore and Beast Boob. I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when they run into my droids."

"Wait a minute!" Poison Ivy shouted. "Where's the witch?"

Just as the Joker switched another monitor to show the holding cell where Starfire was hanging by her wrists, beaten and naked, an alarm went off.

"She's not in there! Someone broke into her cell, but how?"

"It was the witch, you idiot! Now we don't even have a hostage."

A second alarm went off and the Joker quickly changed monitor views to the hallway.

"It's the Boy Blunder! And he's shooting my droids."

The two watched silently as Robin dispatched the robots.

"Since when does Robin have laser pistols?" Pamela asked in a clearly irritated voice.

The Joker frowned. "It looks like Slady's tech. What rotten luck, and what's he doing here anyway? You should have seen him after the explosion; he was ready for the recycling bin."

"Don't you ever do your homework clown? The witch has healing powers!"

"Now you tell me Pamela!"

Poison Ivy scowled as the monitor showed Robin running down the hallway. He stopped and aimed his pistol at the camera. Suddenly there was only static on the screen. Poison Ivy gave the Crime Clown a death glare worthy of Raven.

"So what do we do clown? We can't escape."

The Joker frowned . "We take them all down with us."

"What? Have you lost your mind? Look, I hate Arkham as much as anyone else, but it's better than being dead."

A loud explosion was heard and the heavy steel door that served as the bunker's sole point of entry buckled and then fell to the floor revealing Robin's angry figure.

"Joker, Poison Ivy, it's over. Just make this easy on all of us and surrender."

The Joker erupted into a maniacal laugh.

"Sorry Boy Blunder, no can do!" He said as he reached for the console.

"No Joker! Don't!" Pamela shrieked, but it was too late as the Joker had entered a code on the keyboard. Suddenly all the lights in the room turned red as a loud computerized voice made itself heard.

"_Self destruct has been activated. Repeat. Self destruct had been activated. The entire building will be destroyed in 60 seconds."_

The Joker resumed his maniacal laughter as Poison Ivy turned pale as a sheet.

"He who laughs last, laughs best. Don't you agree Robin?"

Robin felt his chest grow tight. Then it hit him. He was never going to see Starfire again. His only consolation was that she was safe with Raven. He also hoped that the others would be able to get out before the self destruct demolished the building.

* * *

As the four heroes entered the stairwell they were greeted by a volley of laser fire.

"Fall back!" Batman replied as they exited the stairwell, waiting for the robots to emerge. The door was left open to give them a better view of the impending attack. It was soon evident that was not going to happen.

"They've secured the stairwell." Stephanie shouted. "There's no way we get past them. We'd be sitting ducks if we go in there."

"Wanna bet?" Beast Boy replied as he morphed into a hummingbird and flew into the stairwell.

"Beast Boy, wait!" Batman shouted before turning to Cyborg. "Is he always this impulsive?"

"You have no idea Batman. Sometimes I wonder how Raven puts up with him."

The sounds of laser blasts could be heard echoing through the stairwell and stopped after a minute.

"Oh no, did they get him?" Stephanie asked worriedly. It was now obvious that the AI had added animals to the intruder list. Her question was answered by the sound of droids retreating down the stairwell.

"He made it." Batman replied. "The droids are starting to chase him. Come on, let's follow him."

As the three heroes entered the now vacant stairwell the lights turned red and a computerized voice was heard over a loudspeaker:

"_Self destruct has been activated. Repeat. Self destruct had been activated. The entire building will be destroyed in 60 seconds."_

"We have to get out of here now!" Batman bellowed. "There's no time to waste! Move!"

"But what about BB?" Cyborg wailed. "We can't leave him behind!"

"We'll never reach him in time. It's unfortunate, but it's the truth. We can't save him, and if we don't hurry we won't be able to save ourselves either." Batman replied.

Cyborg dropped his head in resignation and ran after Batman and Batgirl.

_What am I going to tell Raven?_

* * *

Ok, here it is, the second update for the extended weekend. If you're in the US, I hope you had a great holiday weekend.


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

The green hummingbird darted back and forth, dodging the volleys of laser blasts, relying on nothing more than his instincts. Several came too close for comfort and singed a few of his tiny feathers. He weaved his way through the gauntlet, which was two levels deep in the wide stairwell. As he penetrated the mechanical platoon the intensity of the fire became greater and more deadly. Thinking fast he dive bombed at the nearest robots as he tried to make his way through. The droids had no regard for their own safety and continued firing and hit each other more than once. Still there remained hundreds to get past, but there was no turning around now and he continued to press forward.

Beast Boy's diligence paid off as the droids in the rearguard where inferior models as he was able to get past them with little trouble and was soon rewarded as he saw a door with a large number one stenciled on it. He returned to his human form, yanked the fire door open and morphing into a cheetah he shot through the door, which slammed shut behind him.

The green cheetah dashed down the many hallways, searching for his prey. His diligence was rewarded as he heard the maniac's laughter echoing through the corridors. Using his feline hearing he was able to zero in on the madman's location and picked up the pace. As he barreled around the corner he was intercepted by 2 sentries. He quickly morphed into a polar bear and batted them away before they could fire upon him. He continued running, sensing his reward was near.

As he neared his target he heard a small explosion, after which he heard voices speaking. He couldn't make out what was being said but one of the voices was familiar, too familiar in fact. He followed the voiced to the final destination.

"No Joker! Don't!" A female voice shrieked.

Beast Boy morphed back into his human form while still running and came to a sliding stop in front of an opening where the door had been blasted away. As he looked inside the room he gasped quietly, surprised at what he saw … and heard.

"_Self destruct has been activated. Repeat. Self destruct had been activated. The entire building will be destroyed in 60 seconds."_

The Joker was bent over laughing.

"He who laughs last, laughs best. Don't you agree Robin?"

After he had overcome his initial shock, Beast Boy stepped into the room.

"Dude! What you doing here?"

Robin jerked at the sound of the changeling's voice. Their eyes met.

"Look Pamela!" The Joker roared with laughter. "We hit the daily double! Beast Boob is also going down! They should call me the widow maker! Whoever said that crime wasn't rewarding? " He continued laughing.

Poison Ivy frowned. "What good is a reward if you're not alive to enjoy it?" She snarled at the Joker.

She turned to the two super heroes.

"Please tell me you can get me out of here!" She pleaded.

Robin shook his head.

"There's no way we can get to safety before the self destruct goes off. I'm sorry Poison Ivy" Robin replied in a lifeless monotone. "I suggest that you prepare yourself for the end."

The mistress of flora began to panic upon hearing Robin's words and started to run around the room while the Joker was bent over laughing.

Beast Boy snatched the laser pistol from Robin and after making a quick adjustment to it he fired, first at Poison Ivy, then at the Joker. Both villains fell to the ground as Robin stared at Beast Boy in stunned silence, unable to believe what he had just seen.

* * *

"_Self destruct has been activated. Repeat. Self destruct had been activated. The entire building will be destroyed in 30 seconds." _The computerized voice warned the fleeing heroes.

Cyborg was beginning to doubt that they would get out in time. This doubt did nothing to dissolve the horrible pangs of guilt he was feeling about leaving Beast Boy behind. He was also consoling himself with the fact that if he didn't escape from the blast then he wouldn't have to face Raven and tell her what happened to Beast Boy.

Nevertheless the survival instinct kicked in. It was true that Victor was half machine, and that included his psyche. And while his cybernetic persona could be cold, logical and calculating he was still half flesh and blood and that half of him wanted to live. The fleeing trio picked up the pace as they continued to rush up the stairwell to the top level of the complex. So far they had been lucky as they had yet to run into any droids, which would have slowed them down enough to make escaping an impossible task.

Cyborg could hear Bruce and Stephanie begin to pant as they continued their ascent. While they lacked Victor's bionic legs they had not slowed down, at least not yet. Adrenaline was an incredible substance, unique to the inhabitants of Earth. Starfire had noticed more than once how humans, the weaklings of the beta quadrant of the galaxy, could summon surprising strength and stamina when faced with great peril. They were still no match for any Tamaranian, but could surprisingly hold their own against many other humanoid species when their adrenaline kicked in.

Cyborg was leading the way up the stairwell and then he saw it: A door with a number '23' stenciled on it, they had reached the top.

"_Self destruct has been activated. Repeat. Self destruct had been activated. The entire building will be destroyed in 15 seconds." _The computerized voice echoed menacingly in the stairwell.

Cyborg crashed through the door, not bothering to slow down to open it properly. The Bat heroes followed behind him. Both were panting heavily now, their lungs feeling as if they were on fire but they did not relent.

They dashed down the wide hallway, the lobby still nowhere in sight. The computerized voice had begun a final countdown.

"14, 13, 12 …"

Cyborg slowed down, allowing Bruce and Stephanie to catch up with him and picked them up tucking each one of them under an arm. He then redirected power from his sonic canon batteries to his legs and picked up the pace. He had never run so fast in his life, and hoped that he wouldn't trip and fall down.

"11, 10, 9, 8 …"

The doors in the hallway breezed past him. According to his internal computer he was running at over 30 miles per hour. Still he began to despair, as he feared there wasn't enough time left.

"7, 6, 5 …"

Then he saw it, an exit sign with the word "Lobby" printed underneath. The arrow pointed left and sliding around the corner he slammed into the wall, his bionic feet unable to provide the traction he needed. He regained control and resumed his rapid pace as he could now see the double doors that led to safety.

"4, 3, 2, 1 …"

Cyborg yelled as he crashed through the only barrier that remained between them and safety.

* * *

A black hemisphere phased out of the ground in the small forest clearing, rising out of the ground like a plant growing in one of those school biology videos. It then faded away, revealing the two female Titans. Raven gently lay Starfire's unconscious figure on the ground and began to tend to her. First she injected her with the universal Joker antitoxin that Batman had given her. There was no immediate effect, but Batman had told her that it would take several minutes for it to become effective.

Once that was completed Raven began to assess the damage the Tamaranian had occurred. She sensed no broken bones or internal bleeding. Tamaranians were indeed a sturdy race she thought to herself as she reached for her communicator. She clicked the button that would connect her to Beast Boy. The connection was almost instantaneous. She could hear the alarm klaxons over the communicator's loudspeaker.

"Gar! What's going on?"

"I don't know! Something triggered the alarm. Did you get Star?"

"Yes, she's here with me in the forest."

"How is she?" He yelled over the din.

"She's better than she looks, no internal injuries; she should be healed by the time you get here. Now get out of there Gar!"

"OK Rae." He replied as the connection was cut.

Raven turned her attention back to the Tamaranian. Laying her hands on the alien she summoned her healing blue light. Because of the princess's resilience Raven seldom ever had to heal her, but when she did it was harder than healing a human, no doubt due to her alien physiology. Raven labored over the girl's naked form, methodically eradicating her bruises and lacerations. After several minutes the alien Titan was fully healed and Raven fell on her posterior, exhausted from the effort.

As the sorceress panted she noticed that the sun was now high in the sky, shining brightly unencumbered by any obstacles on the cloudless day. It was then that she heard Starfire moan as she began to wake up. Raven turned around and reached for a small gym bag she had left there earlier which contained one of Starfire's costumes. As soon as she turned back to the girl she saw that Starfire was already sitting up, staring at the bright lord of the daytime sky, her alien eyes impervious to its dangerous ultraviolet rays.

Starfire then stood up without saying a word and spread her arms wide as she faced the sun, moaning as she stood still.

Raven quickly understood that Starfire was "recharging her batteries" so to say, absorbing the UV rays that were the root source of her alien powers. She remained quiet while still holding the gym bag.

Raven admired Starfire's perfect figure, fighting back her own feelings of inadequacy. Raven had always felt that she was unattractive, especially when she compared herself to the Tamaranian. Seeing her in all of her orange glory only served to reiterate that feeling, the feeling that she was short, fat and unattractive.

Beast Boy had often told Raven that she was a beauty, even a goddess, but the sorceress never believed him. She was grateful that he found her attractive, even sensuous but she was convinced that Gar was not being objective. She knew that she was unbelievably lucky to have him. But at the moment all she could see was that Starfire was the epitome of physical perfection while she was not. And of course it didn't help that she had huge feet. After a few minutes Starfire dropped her arms and turned to face Raven.

"How are you feeling Starfire?" She asked in her signature monotone. Raven also hated her deep gravelly voice. It didn't matter that Gar said it was sexy and it could turn him on in a split second, she hated it.

"I feel glorious friend Raven, was it you who rescued me?"

"Yes, I did and I healed your wounds." She replied as she opened the gym bag and handed Starfire her costume. Starfire smiled, as she was always amused with human modesty. She recalled the first time Raven had found her walking naked in the Tower hallways, returning to her room after showering in the bath. Raven had almost become apoplectic that day and went into a long diatribe as to why it was inappropriate to walk around like that.

"Thank you friend." She replied as an expression of concern took over her face.

"Raven, how is Robin? The Joker told me that he was severely harmed by the explosion."

"He was." Raven replied. "But he's recovering at the manor. He broke his leg and his eardrums were blown out, but I was able to heal him. I expect he'll be up and about when we get back …"

Raven was interrupted by the chirping her communicator made, indicating an incoming call. She removed it from her belt and flipped it open. Barbara's face appeared on the display.

"Raven, have you seen Robin by any chance?" The Batclan Oracle dispensed with the pleasantries and asked her bluntly.

"What do you mean 'have I seen him'? He's resting in his room at the manor."

"No, he's not. Alfred went to take him some food and he wasn't there. His motorcycle is also missing."

Raven exploded. "That anal retentive idiot! We have things under control! Why doesn't he just trust us." Raven then composed herself. "Well, at least we know who triggered the alarm."

"Just let us know if you see him."

"Don't worry Oracle, I will. Raven out."

"So Robin is inside the complex Raven?" Starfire asked.

"We don't know for sure, but I'd say that it's a safe bet he's in their doing …"

Raven was once again interrupted, this time by the sound of a loud explosion coming from the complex. The two women jerked around to see the source of the ruckus and saw that the roof had been blown off the large building which was billowing black smoke and flames as smaller secondary explosions were heard. Starfire fire pointed towards the reception area outside the lobby, which had been guarded by several sentry droids which were now idle and deactivated.

"Can you see them Raven? Some of our friends are running from the building."

Raven's human eyes could not distinguish the tiny forms running from the inferno which continued to emit explosions. She pulled her collapsible binoculars from her utility belt and focused on the small group. She immediately recognized Cyborg, who was still carrying Batman and Batgirl while he ran like a banshee. Raven continued to scan the scene, looking for a painfully missing green figure. She dropped the binoculars and began to tremble.

"Raven." Starfire's voice warbled. "I do not see our beloved ones."

* * *

An evil cliffhanger! Would you expect anything less from me?

I know that I have been complaining about lack of reviews, especially in my other story "Through a Dark Mirror." So I figure that I owe those of you who do review some acknowledgement, so I am bringing back the Mail Bag! (the sound of fanfare is heard in the background)

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** -"Hopefully BB and Robin can get their asses out in time and do an unexpected escape from a Self Destructing building."

_I guess you're going to have to wait one more chapter to find out!_

**Crimson Black** - "I absolutely love how well you portray the Joker and the way he makes jokes out of everything."

_Thanks. I was al little worried that he would come across as a bit hackneyed._

**lpwriter4life** - "No! Robin, Beastboy don't die!"

_Things are looking grim, aren't they?_

**The Mighty One** - "Jack Ryder, is back in human form and captured"

_I still haven't decided what's going to happen to him._

**Novus Ordo Seclorum** - "I really liked the Joker's 'blaze of glory' attitude in this chapter. You really portrayed his insanity well; he is to the point he would rather die and take down the Bat Clan with him than lose outright."

_I sort of stole the idea from a Superman episode (the arc where Lex Luthor hires the Joker to Kill Superman with some stolen kryptonite). The Joker tries to crash Luthor's plane with everyone on board._

**lauurenn-2** - "WOW!i love so much your story,please continue(sorry i'm brazilian)"

_Please! No apologies are needed! I love having international readers. It especially touches me to know that people read my stories even if they are not in their native tongues._

**titansfan1211** -"AHH! That is the meanest cliffy ever!"

**I think this one is even meaner. Bwahahahahaha!**

**GreenRock** - "I very much enjoyed the suspense that you left at the end of the story and I can't wait to how it all ends. I hope everyone makes it out alright. Including Joker and Ivy, I especially enjoy their deviance (hehe)."

_I have to admit, I'm very tempted to have this story end in tragedy._

**XInuKagXOXORobStarX** - "What? Now both of the guys are going to be killed? No, they will make it out, I know they will. Please, please update soon."

_Well, I did update soon, right?"_

**sparklebluelemon** - "I hope Robin and BB make it. I am so excited for the next chapter!"

_Stay tuned!_


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

Starfire was a princess from the Royal House of Tamaran. Tamaranians are a naturally fierce race, not surprising given their evolutionary heritage, having descended from felines unlike humans who evolved from less predatory simians. Tamaranian royalty were known to be even fiercer and it was said that they did not even fear death. The Titans knew that wasn't true. Starfire felt fear, that much they all knew. Of course that didn't mean she was coward, far from it. She would never back down from an enemy once the blood lust of battle kicked in.

As the red headed Titan stared at the raging inferno that just moments before had been a building she felt icy fingers grip her spine as she was consumed with fear and dread. She noticed that Raven was still trembling. Summoning all her courage she put a hand on Raven's shoulder.

"We must not assume the worst Raven. Let us join our friends and find out what happened."

Raven stopped trembling and nodded weakly at the Tamaranian, who then took flight towards Cyborg's gleaming figure. The sorceress also took to the sky, but felt the sense of dread pervade her and her stomach felt as if there was a brick in it.

As the two female Titans swooped down from the hilltop Cyborg, still in a daze put Bruce and Stephanie back down on the ground. Even though they were over 100 yards from what remained of the building the heat was intense. Cyborg turned around to face the roaring inferno and watched as the walls began to cave in and collapsed. He activated his infrared eye and aimed it at the center of the holocaust. Within seconds it registered almost 1500F, hot enough to incinerate anything that was organic in nature. He stared, unable to avert his gaze.

_BB_

Raven and Starfire landed next to him and they exchanged glances. Finally Cyborg spoke up, his voice breaking from the grief he was feeling.

"I'm sorry Raven, BB, he ... he didn't get out in time."

Cyborg fell onto his right knee and began to weep uncontrollably while Raven stood motionless, unable to react.

"Cyborg! Did you see Robin inside the building?" The Princess asked.

The tin man shook his head.

"No, we didn't. Was he here?" He replied between sobs.

"We believe he was." She responded sadly as she too began to weep.

"This can't be happening!" Raven wailed. "It has to be a nightmare. It has to be."

Cyborg wiped away his tears.

"I wish this was just a nightmare, I wish I could just wake up and it would be over, and we would be back at the Tower."

The three Titans continued weeping while Batman and Stephanie watched from a distance.

"I hate him." Stephanie snarled. "I hate that bastard, with his stupid laugh and his stupid face!" She shouted as she began to tremble with rage. "It wasn't enough for him to kill Jason and cripple Babs, now he's taken Dick and Garfield too."

"The Joker's Shadow." Batman replied deadpan. "It's always cast a pall over Gotham." He paused while he too stared at the raging inferno that wouldn't relent.

The walls continued to fall into the deep pit that once contained the 23 levels that comprised the complex. If there was a replica of Hell on Earth, this was it. The 5 superheroes turned to leave, except for Raven who continued to scan the hellish scene, which was no so hot that she was sweating from the intense heat.

Just as Raven prepared to leave a loud crashing sound was heard coming out of the pit. It sounded as if the remaining floors were beginning to collapse onto one another as the crashing sounds were evenly spaced. As Raven watched a black slender shape emerged from the deadly oven. Raven gasped as the snake slowly towered over the wreckage and was soon followed by a huge pair of claws which grabbed onto the ground around the hellish hole. It was then that Raven recognized the creature.

It was Malchior.

_What is he doing here? He's still locked in the book._

Raven's heart sank. This was probably another dragon; Luthor had probably captured one and kept it here. They were in no shape to face the monster, but it had to be stopped. Gotham was nearby and if it reached the city there would countless deaths and untold destruction. She would have to stop it herself, even at the cost of her own life.

_It's not like I have anything worth living for anyway._

The monster finally clambered its way out of the pit. It appeared to be in a daze but soon collected itself and began to crawl away from the inferno, which was hot even by dragon standards. Raven knew that this was her opportunity to strike. Without telling the others, who by this point had also noticed the dragon, she took to flight on an intercept course with the dragon.

_I'm coming Gar, we'll soon be together again._

As Raven neared the creature which by now had put some distance between itself and the complex's ruins she was able to see it in a different light. The first thing that she noticed was that the creature had its wings tightly folded against its body, instead of spreading them wide to use as radiators to dissipate heat. The next thing she noticed surprised her: The dragon was not black.

It was green.

Raven then looked at its jaw and she saw it. The jutting fang was where it should have been.

Exhilaration spread through Raven's body like wild fire. It was him! Somehow he managed to survive! As she approached the creature she could see that it was seriously injured. Its thick scales, which were usually fireproof on a dragon, looked singed and burnt. It had lacerations all over its body and was bleeding.

Her elation was short lived as the extent of the damage became apparent to her and she panicked as the creature collapsed and fell to the ground. Raven flew to its side, having to raise one of her shields to protect herself from the incinerator level heat.

"Gar! Get up! You'll burn if you stay there!"

The green dragon did not move. Raven could sense the excruciating agony he was suffering as he breathed slowly. The sorceress summoned all her dark energy and tried to move the leviathan but it was too heavy for her to move it in her weakened state.

"Gar, you have to get up!" She screamed over the roar of the unceasing inferno. He was injured and she had to get him to a safe place. Then, remembering the trick Malchior had taught her she raised her hands in the dragon's direction.

_I'm sorry Gar, I know I promised to never do this to you, but this is an emergency._

Invoking the black magic she had once used years ago on Beast Boy Raven forced him to morph back into his human form. The transformation wasn't instantaneous and she watched as he slowly changed back into a human being. As his wings began to retract back into his body 3 other figures, which until then had been safely tucked between the wings and the dragon's body, fell to the ground.

Thinking quickly Raven rushed to Beast Boy's side and teleported everyone to a safe distance and not a moment too soon as a powerful explosion ensued and the area where they had just been was consumed by a massive fire ball.

* * *

Raven materialized just yards from where Cyborg was standing. Starfire was with him and she shrieked when she saw that one of the 3 passengers Beast Boy had tucked under his wings was Robin. She ran to her fiancé's side and examined him. He had several first degree burns and was unconscious, but he was alive. Cyborg joined and began to administer first aid to Boy Wonder.

Batman and Stephanie ran to the other 2 passengers, who were of course The Joker and Poison Ivy, both of whom were still knocked out by the laser volleys that Beast Boy had blasted then with. He had set the laser pistol to the stun setting before shooting them and, much to Batman's chagrin, they were both completely unharmed. He and Stephanie quickly cuffed the two villains.

Raven was bent over Beast Boy's injured body. The external damage was horrendous, as he was covered in 2nd and 3rd degree burns. The wounds on the dragon's body translated onto Beast Boy's body and he was bleeding profusely.

But that was not the worst of it. Raven immediately noticed that he having difficulty breathing. Using her senses she probed into his chest and found his lungs to be damaged as well. She knew where she had to start and knew that time wasn't on her side. She was also still tired from healing Starfire, in spite of her half demon physiology. Her human half was also exhausted by it but had produced the adrenaline she needed at that moment.

Placing her hands on his chest she closed her eyes and focused, softly repeating her mantra as the healing blue light appeared and seeped its way into his chest. The damage was vast, over 90% of his alveoli were burned and were non functional. Slowly and methodically she worked her way through his lungs, starting first with the left lung. It was an arduous task, far beyond anything she had ever attempted before. The progress was slow.

Cyborg had treated Robin's burns, which were far less serious than Beast Boy's and gave him some morphine to keep him asleep and comfortable. Robin was in no danger from his wounds and he could wait for Raven's blue light until later, much later.

Batman scanned the inferno with a special pair of binoculars that cancelled out infrared radiation, allowing him to see the wreckage of the sight, which he surveyed carefully.

"No sign of Ryder?" Stephanie asked in a hollow voice. Batman shook his head in reply.

Salvaging her husband's lungs was taking its toll on Raven as she was beginning to feel light headed. She forced herself to continue focusing as there was still plenty to do. She was sweating heavily as the beads of sweat flowed down her face to her chin, where they steadily dripped from as if she were a leaky faucet.

After a few more minutes she was satisfied that she had done enough for his lungs as Beast Boy was now breathing normally. She wiped the briny sweat from her eyes and noticed that she was having trouble focusing her vision. She knew that she still needed to heal his exterior burns and lacerations. She leaned forward to undo his half burned shirt but lost her balance and fell forward. She was unaware that Cyborg was kneeling next to her and he caught her as she fell.

"I… I… can't... stop yet." She managed to murmur as Cyborg lifted her back into an upright position. Raven suddenly felt a needle prick her arm.

"A little pick me up." Cyborg remarked. "A vitamin B cocktail and some other goodies. Just don't overdo it Raven, OK?"

Raven felt her second wind kick in.

"Thank you Cyborg." She whispered. Her vision had cleared and her thoughts were once again lucid. She knew she was working on borrowed time and she got to work quickly. First she removed Beast Boy's clothes, which wasn't difficult as they were pretty much destroyed anyway. This time the wounds were easier to heal as they were on the outside. She started with the worst wounds: the third degree burns and the deep lacerations. She was quick and methodical but as she had feared the fatigue soon returned, long before she was finished.

"Don't push yourself Raven." She heard Cyborg's voice. It sounded distant and hollow.

_Come on Raven, don't give up, he needs you._ She reminded herself as the light headedness returned.

She was now working on the second degree burns and was almost done when she started to suffer from tunnel vision. She backed off but it was now too late as she began to black out.

"Gar… Gar…" she murmured as she collapsed, falling back. Once again Cyborg caught her in his arms.

* * *

A short chapter, but we still have a few to go!

Before we get to the mail bag, there's a story I want to recommend: All Things Titan: A Collection of Unlikely Tales by Star of Airdrie. This has to be one of the funniest Titans fanfics I've read in a while.

And now, without further delay: mail bag!

**lpwriter4life** -"I can relate to Raven's feelings of inadequacy"

_It has to be hard to be Raven. Her father is a demon; she's been told she's evil and creepy._

**lauurenn-2** - "No Robin, do not die! Beast boy no!"

_I had you worried there, didn't I? Oh, and I can't wait for Brazil 2014!_

**JGirl88** - "Good story though, it keeps you on the edge. Please update soon. :)"

_Thanks, I have been told that keeping my readers on edge is something I do well._

**The Mighty One** - "The robotic voice telling 'Self Destruct' was quiet mind gripping"

_I did kind of like that myself._

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast **- "In my response to Raven's insecurities, so what? At least you have natural curves and Gar loves em and also the grey skin is also a plus. Perfection's overrated anyways haha."

_I think BB loves her just the way she is._

**bk00 **- "NOOOOOO! Not a cliffie! DAMN YOU TFISWTO! DAMN YOU!"

_Bwhahahahahaha!_

**Novus Ordo Seclorum** - "I also enjoyed the scene with Raven and Starfire. The juxtaposition Raven has between herself and Star was interesting."

_Like I said above, it's gotta be hard to be Raven._

**emotionalpoemgirl** - "This is really good. Love the story!"

**Thanks!**

**ilikeotters** - "I hope you get the next chappie up soon, I'm dying to know what happens!"

_I hoped this chapter helped!_

**GreenRock** - "Just when I thought that this story couldn't have been layered with more suspense, you go ahead and lather more suspense. I love it. Great job and another great chapter."

_Thanks!_

**titansfan1211** - "yea, you're right on this one being meaner! *sticks tounge out at TheForseIsStrongWithThisOne* haha."

_So that's what I get for sparing the green bean's life!_

**XInuKagXOXORobStarX** - "I have to agree that was indeed an evil cliff hanger. I want to cry, I don't want them to be dead. Please update soon, they have to get through this!"

_They lived, but don't get your hopes up too high, at least not yet!_

**sparklebluelemon** - "I'm sure the two are somewhat okay (hopefully), but that must be a horrible feeling that Raven and Star will be feeling when the two are not to be seen."

_I think it would have to be gut wrenching._

**Hinn-Raven** - "Gah, Evil Cliffhanger! Well, I suppose that I DO need some worrying about Robin and Beast Boy to make up for... something. I really need to figure out what, though..."

_Let me guess, you ate the last piece of pie your mom was saving for your dad!_


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

The young superhero slowly stirred as he began to regain consciousness. His mind was a blur as he fought to clear the cobwebs from his head. The first thing he noticed that his arms were sore and that his skin was hot and irritated. He was thirsty and his throat was so dry he didn't want to speak. He then felt the IV catheter in his arm and opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Starfire's concerned face staring down at him.

"Richard, you have awoken." She whispered to him. "How do you feel?"

Robin gingerly attempted to sit up and paused as he felt the lightning bolts of pain shoot through his body. He did not desist however and continued to raise himself until he was sitting in an upright position.

"I've been better." He moaned as looked into Starfire's eyes. It was then that he noticed that she had been crying.

"Why did you come to rescue me Richard? You were injured and in no condition to do what you did." She replied in a cross voice. "You placed yourself in unnecessary danger. Bruce is very angry with you as am I."

Robin glanced around nervously. He was in the Batcave, that much he knew before he even opened his eyes. He was able to smell the cave's unique damp aroma and had heard the tell tale sounds that were unique to the Batcave. He continued to scan the cave, but Bruce was nowhere to be found. What he did see was Raven in another medical station. She had an oxygen mask on her face and also had an IV catheter in her arm. She looked unusually pale, almost gaunt, and she wasn't levitating nor in a healing trace. He was able to discern the familiar sound of an electro cardiogram and saw that she was connected to one as well.

"What happened to Raven?" He asked.

He then heard a series of heavy footsteps emerge from the shadows, which belonged to Cyborg's looming figure. The expression on his half human face was grim.

"She almost killed herself healing Beast Boy."

"Almost?"

Cyborg frowned as he made his way to Raven's medical station. He examined the readings on the many devices that were connected to her before returning to Robin's bedside.

"He was in really bad shape when he came out of that oven. That was clever of him, morphing into a dragon. I guess he got some of Malchior's DNA when he bit him."

Robin instantly recalled the day they fought the duplicitous dragon and remembered that Beast Boy had briefly morphed into a Tyrannosaurus Rex and bitten the dragon before being shaken off. He had probably absorbed Malchior's DNA into his own at that moment, adding to his collection of creatures.

"Where is Beast Boy?" Robin asked unable to mask the dread in his voice.

"He's in intensive care at Gotham Central Hospital. His lungs had been burned to the point where he couldn't breathe. Raven healed them pretty good, at least that what the docs said at the hospital. She also healed his external injuries before she collapsed. She pushed herself way too hard Rob, she almost died. She lost close to 20 pounds in the process, and only have of that could be attributed to dehydration, the rest was pure fat that she burned up while healing him. She's already on her fourth IV since we got back."

"How long ago was that?"

Cyborg checked his chronometer.

"Almost six hours now. Bruce and Stephanie are asleep, in case you're wondering where they are."

Robin turned to Starfire.

"Star, I forgot to ask, how are you?"

She smiled back at him.

"I am the OK. Raven was very thorough when she healed me. Also Bruce's antitoxin neutralized the Joker's poison and my strength returned."

Robin smiled back at her before turning in Raven's direction.

"If she healed Beast Boy, why is he in the ICU?"

Cyborg sighed.

"She only healed some of his wounds." He said as he glanced at Raven, who had finally begun to levitate in a healing trance. "I never thought I'd say this, but seeing her levitate like that, that's a sight for sore eyes."

Robin closed his eyes and reclined back into his bed. This had no doubt been the most dangerous and deadly mission they had ever taken on. All caused by an insane villain who didn't even have any powers. All he could hope for now was that Beast Boy would complete his recovery without any further incidents.

* * *

Dr. Laszlo Kovacs sat at his desk in his office in Gotham Central Hospital. He was the head surgeon at the hospital and his office bore witness to that fact. It was very large and elegantly appointed. The walls were lined with bookcases that were loaded with books and medical journals. The wall behind him was populated, in addition to his many diplomas and certificates, with many awards, all of them framed. As he sat as his desk he surveyed the team of specialists that sat before him, each with a report in his or her had.

"Status?" He queried his team.

"He has multiple hairline fractures in both his arms, legs and ribs. " The first doctor reported. "They should heal without complications. There was one fully fractured rib and it did traumatize his liver."

"But we were able to stop the internal bleeding in his liver. The wound was small." A second doctor commented."He should recover fully from that wound."

"He had very few lesions on his skin, just a few second degree burns and a few minor lacerations. There are signs of recent healing, minute traces of scar tissue all over. I guess the sorceress really has healing powers." The staff dermatologist reported. "There wasn't much for me to do."

A fourth doctor stood up and placed an x-ray on a viewer.

"There are also plenty of traces of scar tissue in his lungs, and as you can see here…" He indicated with an extendable pointing device. "… they are present all over both of his lungs. Again, the scar tissue traces, while plentiful, are individually minute. I'd say he lost at most 2% of his lung capacity. Her healing powers are extraordinary."

The rest of the team gave their reports and all but one said that his status was satisfactory. The dissenting physician reported that Beast Boy would need to return to see her for further treatment later.

The medical team indicated that there was nothing more for them to .

Dr. Kovacs leaned back in his chair.

"Do any of you object to releasing him to Batman's care?"

The doctor's collectively shook their heads.

Dr. Kovacs nodded.

"I'll contact Commissioner Gordon…"

* * *

After levitating for almost two hours Raven's figure slowly lowered itself back onto its bed. Starfire approached her as she slowly stirred awake. Her eyes then popped open and she was fully lucid.

"Do not move Raven, I will remove the IV from your arm."

Raven stared at Starfire with a discomforted look on her face.

"Could you hurry? I really need to use the bathroom."

Cyborg chuckled as Raven had just consumed a fifth saline IV. As soon as the IV was removed Raven leaped out of her bed and dashed off to the Batcave's single restroom, her hospital gown billowing behind her exposing her gray derrière. She was not gone for long and after a loud flush was heard she emerge from the bathroom looking her usual composed self. She looked around the Batcave searching for something that was obviously missing.

"Where's Gar?"

A sound of footsteps could be heard approaching. It was Stephanie, who was out of costume.

"Bruce went to get him. They just discharged him from the hospital."

"The hospital? But I healed him."

"He was in worse shape than you thought Raven." Robin interjected from his bed. "But he's OK now, at least OK enough to come home."

"Yo Rob. What exactly happened down there? I mean, yeah we know BB morphed into a dragon to get you all out alive. And by the way, The Joker and Poison Ivy are safely locked away in Arkham."

Robin sat up again in his bed and the others gathered around him.

"It was strange, that much is certain."

TtTtTt TtTtTt TtTtTt TtTtTt

Beast Boy tossed the laser pistol into a dustbin as Robin stared in disbelief.

"Beast Boy … I know there's no hope of escaping this, but … you shot them in cold blood. I mean … why? They were going to die anyway."

Beast Boy's usual goofy, smiling face was nowhere to be found.

"_Self destruct has been activated. Repeat. Self destruct had been activated. The entire building will be destroyed in 50 seconds."_

"Dude! I didn't kill anyone; I set the pistol to stun!"

Robin stared at the two inert villains, who remained slumped on the floor.

"I see … you didn't want them to suffer … that was very … noble of you Beast Boy."

Beast Boy now looked cross.

"Shut up dude, we're getting out of here."

Robin scrunched his face.

"Beast Boy, we're 23 stories underground, we'll never get out in time.

"Sure we will."

"How?"

"Easy, I'm gonna morph into a dragon. You guys will hide under my wings. But we gotta hurry!"

"A dragon? How?"

"There's no time dude…"

"_Self destruct has been activated. Repeat. Self destruct had been activated. The entire building will be destroyed in 40 seconds."_

"… look, as soon as I morph you guys will need to get under my wing. But make it quick. Once I morph into a dragon I won't quite be myself and I might bolt for safety without you. Understand?

Robin was already carrying the Joker and Poison Ivy under his arms.

"OK then, let's do it."

Robin watched awestruck as Beast Boy quickly morphed into a full sized dragon. He saw the thick fireproof scales appear on the changeling's hide. He ran up to the dragon's side and tucked the two villains under the wing.

"Hurry up dude." The dragon growled at the boy wonder. "We're running out of time."

Robin dashed around the green dragon, at first surprised that Beast Boy could talk while in this form, but then recalled that Malchior could also talk, as he supposed all dragons could. As Robin approached the other side of the dragon's body and the wing where he would hide Beast Boy stretched his neck, poking it through the ceiling above it and through the one above it as well.

"Hurry! There is no time to spare!" Beast Boy thundered.

Dodging the pieces of concrete falling from the ceiling he reached the other wing and tucked himself in as the computer warned of the impending doom.

"_Self destruct has been activated. Repeat. Self destruct had been activated. The entire building will be destroyed in 30 seconds."_

Robin shielded his face with his cape as he was cocooned in Beast Boys wing. The ride up was bumpy as Beast boy kept crashing through successive floors. He attempted to keep count of their ascent and was sure they had passed level 10 when he heard the final countdown begin.

"_14, 13, 12 …"_

Beast Boy quickened his pace as he continued to ascend.

"_11, 10, 9, 8 …"_

Robin realized right there and then that they weren't going to get out in time.

"_7, 6, 5 …"_

By his count there were at least 5 more levels to go. It was too late.

"_4, 3, 2, 1 …"_

Robin heard a deafening explosion, first feeling the shockwave through his and Beast Boy's body. He then felt what seemed to be countless projectiles hitting Beast Boy's body. Robin then yelped as Beast Boy began to fall back into the void they had just climbed out from. The temperature began to rise dramatically and Robin felt that was asphyxiating. Beast Boy's fall stopped with a jolt and he slowly began to ascend once again. By this point Robin's head was swimming and he felt as if he was being roasted alive. Even with his eyes shut, with his titanium polymer cape over his head and shielded by Beast Boys thick and shielded wings he could see the brightness of the inferno around them. The ascent continued in spite of Beast Boy losing his grip occasionally and slipping.

It was at this point that Robin blacked out.

* * *

Raven stood silently after Robin finished his story, seemingly unaware or unconcerned that all she was wearing was the flimsy hospital gown. Robin noticed her mood and spoke up.

"You must be very proud of him Raven. His quick thinking and iron will saved us all."

Raven snapped out of her funk.

"Of course." She replied absentmindedly as she turned to Stephanie. "You said Bruce was bringing him home?"

Stephanie nodded. "He took the Batwing; I'm surprised they aren't …"

Before she could finish speaking the sound of jet turbines echoed throughout the Batcave. The Batwing approached, as it slowly hovered to its landing pad. The large black jet possessed an elegance in its design that the T-Ship lacked and Cyborg stared enviously at it began its final approach. Once it touched down everyone except for Robin who was still in his bed, ran over to the landing pad.

"Aren't you feeling a draft Raven?" Robin teased her as her hospital gown once again billowed revealing her gray fanny. As she continued to run she reached behind her back and pulled the fabric together.

"Shut up Robin!"

They gathered around the Batwing, which Batman had already shut down. He popped the canopy open and hopped out.

"Where's Gar?" Raven barked at the Dark Knight.

"He's in the cargo hold." Batman replied in his own signature monotone as he opened the hatch in the rear of the Batwing and pulled a gurney out. Beast Boy was securely strapped in and was unconscious. Raven saw his feet emerge first from the jet followed by the rest of his body. The last part to emerge of course was his head.

Raven gasped when she saw his face. His eyes were bandaged. Batman approached her.

"Raven, I'm afraid I have some bad news …"

* * *

I am incorrigible! Another evil cliffhanger! I should be flogged or something!

Now it's time for everyone's favorite section: mailbag!

**Faith** - "btw this story is addicting"

_Maybe I should start charging you guys!_

**still too old for this** - "I've always found it curious when authors make BB turn into a dragon. Dinosaurs, extinct beasts, yes. Mythological beasts, whaaa? The concept of his parent's cure by injecting animal DNA into him doesn't seem to lead naturally to mythology."

_I hope the back-story I provided in this chapter is satisfactory :-) _

**Novus Ordo Seclorum** - "That, sir, was one diabolical cliffhanger. Even by my standards! Way to go!"

_You're making me blush!_

**The Mighty One** - "You brought in the main title, "The Joker's Shadow." Great line with Batman, and the third Batgirl. ;-)"

_You noticed! I'm not sure anyone else did._

**lauurenn-2** - "man i love your story."

_Thanks! That means a lot to me._

**bk00** - "that was definitely the best chapter thus far!"

_Funny thing is that I wasn't all that pleased with it. But I'm glad you liked it! _

**GreenRock** - "Crossed fingers that Gar survives."

_Well, he did! But now he has a new cross to bear!_

**JGirl88** - "Thank You Thank You Thank you for not killing both Beastboy and Robin."

_One of you readers (I won't say who) was trying to talk me into killing BB. But I just didn't have the heart to do that!_

**Hairul The Nightrage Beast** - "Haha Gar just did Mythological Transformations when your butt is in serious danger and you need to transform into the big guns, Big Guns that is Mythological creatures that is haha xD"

_Other than one of Trigon's fire demons I couldn't think of anything else that could survive and escape from that inferno!_

**King of random117** - "Your story leaves my gripping my seat at each unresolved cliffie with pure excitement! Bravo!"

_When I read that I know that I'm doing something right! Thanks!_

**emotionalpoemgirl **- "Yay! -happy dance- their alive! Alive! And Beast was a dragon? Well it makes sense... dragon, fire, but how? How did that happen? Not that I'm not glad it did but how?"

_Was my explanation in this chapter satisfactory?_

**titansfan1211** - "Have you ever noticed how bb is the hardest to kill off? Whenever people kill of titans, bb always seems to live..."

_He's tougher than most people think._

**titanfan45** - "Since Joker is ok, maybe Starfire can remedy that by giving him an old fashioned severe beating Tamaranian style."

_She's too much of a sweetie pie to do that. Robin on the other hand..._

**Skellingtonfan1** - "I've been following this story since it first came out (right in the middle of my history class when I found chapter one, thank God for secret reading) and I am so glad you've kept it up."

_Oh my! I've kept you from your studies? Bad writer! Bad TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne!_

**Hinn-Raven** - "Love the emotion you've put in this chapter, especially Starfire's and Raven's over their significant others current MIA and severely injured status."

_Thanks, I try to diversify the emotions in this story. Contrary to popular belief, not everything that is intense has to take place in the bedroom._


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

"Raven, I'm afraid I have some bad news …"

The sorceress glared at the Dark Knight. He was only the messenger, the bearer of bad news. Yet whatever that news was she was ready to lay the blame at his feet. She didn't know what the details were yet there was no doubt in her mind that he was somehow responsible for what had happened and once she confirmed that belief … there would be hell to pay.

"What do you mean by 'bad news'?" She asked. Her signature monotone cracked, betraying the fear she was feeling. "It's his eyes, isn't it? Something's wrong with his eyes?"

Raven felt an arm wrap around her shoulder. An orange arm that usually had a vise like grip to it, but which was now unusually soft and tender. Raven looked over her shoulder and saw Starfire's sad face.

"Friend, you know that I will assist you and Beast Boy in any way you need, for as long as you need me"

Starfire saw the tears drip from the sorceress's eyes. She had never seen Raven cry before.

"Raven, your beloved is alive. Is that not sufficient consolation?"

The demoness returned her eyes to Batman.

"What's wrong with him?"

Before Batman answered Beast Boy stirred. He had been awake when he was discharged to Batman's care and while he appeared to be asleep at the time he was actually awake and had been listening in on the conversation.

"It's my retinas Rae." He answered softly. "The explosion's flash was so bright that they got fried. The doc told me that over 90% was damaged. The doc said that you might be able to heal them, but she said that it's probably a long shot."

Cyborg cleared his throat.

"If that fails STAR labs could probably make you some artificial eyes, like mine." He said as he pointed at his robotic eye.

Beast Boy turned his head in the tin man's direction.

"I know Cy, but if I do that I won't be able to morph."

Cyborg nodded. "Of course, you'd need your entire body to change and the eyes wouldn't morph. I'm sorry man"

Beast Boy grinned.

"Don't worry Cy, we'll figure something out, won't we Rae?"

Raven swallowed a silent sob before replying.

"Of course we will."

The changeling's smile softened.

"Don't cry Rae, we'll be fine, I promise."

Raven looked startled.

"How did you know?"

Garfield chuckled before replying. "I could smell them. Your tears are saltier than most." He then sat up and reached for his eye bandages. "The doc said I could take this off when I got home."

"I'll do it for you." She replied as she leaned over to face him. As her hands touched the elastic material that held the two eye bandages in place she stopped and gently pulled his face towards her own and gently kissed him on the lips. He wrapped his arms around her, caressing her back.

After a few minutes they released each other from their tender embrace.

"Don't move Gar." She commanded him as she unwrapped the elastic, which she did with the greatest of care, as if he were a porcelain doll. Once it was off she reached for the two bandages.

"Are you ready Gar?"

"Take them off."

Very gingerly she removed the two bandages. His eyelids looked irritated, and had some sort of burn healing balm on them.

"Don't open your eyelids yet." She instructed him and he nodded in reply. She placed her right palm over his eye lids and the blue light appeared. After about 60 seconds she was done.

He smiled. "Thanks Rae. It's always good to have a doctor in the house. My eyelids feel much better. I'm ready to open them."

"Whenever you're ready Gar."

Raven watched as he slowly opened his eyes. His emerald orbs didn't look any different than usual except that they were rather bloodshot. She knew that wasn't important and would heal of its own accord. What really mattered is what was happening on the inside.

The changeling turned in Raven's direction and squinted as he appeared to look at her. Everyone in the cave was holding their collective breaths at this point.

"Can you see me Gar?" She asked in her monotone, appearing to be in full control of her emotions. Beast Boy knew her better than the others and could hear the faint tell tale artifacts in her voice that betrayed the gripping fear she was feeling.

"It depends on what you mean by 'see'. I can see some light and I do see a … well … a blob in front of me, which I guess is you. But that's it."

Cyborg and Starfire turned away, unable to conceal their disappointment. Robin didn't turn away and stoically watched Raven react to the bad news. Her face didn't betray her emotions but he saw her reach for and clutch her husband's hand.

This was an earth shattering event for the team. Robin knew that in his present condition that Beast Boy couldn't continue to be a super hero. His mind was already racing, trying to think of a new role for him on the team. His greatest fear was that Raven would 'hang up the cape' and retire to spend more time with her now disabled husband.

His mind continued to race. Star Labs, they should be able to come up with something. He walked over to Cyborg and cleared his throat. The tin man turned around and Robin could see that both he and Starfire had been silently weeping.

"Cy, I want you to contact your father."

Cyborg wiped his tears away.

"Sure Rob. What do you have in mind?"

Robin crossed his arms.

"I want them to clone a new pair of eyes for Beast Boy."

Cyborg stiffened as he answered.

"What do you think this is Rob? Bladerunner? No one's ever been able to do that before, manufacture an organic eyeball without cloning a whole human body. And you know it's now illegal to clone a whole body just to harvest parts."

"I know, but who says it can't be done?"

Cyborg sighed. "You're asking for the impossible Rob."

The Boy Wonder nodded.

"I know. But you know me. I don't believe in the impossible."

Cyborg shook his head."I'll call him man, but I already know the answer."

Robin walked back to the Logans. Raven was already trying to heal her husband's eyes.

"Maybe you should rest up before doing this Raven. You've barely just recovered yourself."

"You're one to talk." She snipped back at him. "Shouldn't you be in your bed?"

"Yes I should, and so should you."

"I'm fine." She replied dryly.

"Dude, we'll be OK."

Robin felt Starfire's arm wrap around his waist.

"Richard, let them be. Come with me; let us go slumber in our room." She whispered to him, followed by gentle kiss.

Robin nodded. "Sure Star, I think that's a good idea." He then noticed the sorrow she was trying to hide. "Don't worry Star, we'll find a solution to this, I know we will."

The princess dropped her head as they made their way to the stairs that led back up into the mansion.

"Why did this happen to them Richard? They do not deserve this."

Robin wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Did you deserve to be kidnapped and sold to the Citadel?"

She gave him a puzzled look.

"Star, bad things happen to good people. It's a fact of life and even though we're superheroes and Jump City's guardians the truth is there is nothing we can do about it."

Starfire nodded sadly as yjey made their way back to their room She opened the door and entered, followed by Robin.

"Look, by all rights Beast Boy and I shouldn't have made it out of that hell hole alive, but we did." He told her, sounding apologetic.

The Tamaranian said nothing as she quietly stepped into the bathroom with her nightgown in hand. Robin changed into his sleepwear while she prepared herself in the bathroom. Once she was done she emerged looking as despondent as ever.

"C'mon Star, Beast Boy's resourceful and so are we. We will find a solution to this, I promise. No matter what happens Beast Boy is a member of the team. We might have to find him a new role, but he's not going anywhere."

Starfire shook her head.

"Richard, how would you feel if you could not see and not join us on missions? Would you be agreeable to have me go on missions alone without you at my side?"

Robin slipped into the bed and patted the space beside him, inviting her to join him. She did without hesitation.

"You have not answered the question, my betrothed."

"Star, you are a mighty warrior. You don't need me at your side, and Raven doesn't need Beast Boy at her side either."

A tear dripped down her cheek, and it glowed green in the room's dim illumination.

"You are wrong Richard. While it is true that I am a Warrior Princess of the House of Tamaran and that I do not need your physical assistance you are my mate. We have consummated our union and I would always be incomplete without you at my side."

Robin averted his gaze from her.

"And you still have not answered my question. How would you feel if you were not at my side in battle?"

Robin sighed. "I'd feel like a failure."

Starfire wrapped her mighty arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace.

"You would not be a failure Richard, but your feelings are true. Beast Boy will feel the same when Raven enters battle without being at her side."

"So what do you think will happen Star?"

The princess caressed his bare chest and peeled his mask off, tossing it aside. She then kissed him tenderly several time before answering his question.

"I believe that our dear friends are going to 'retire' as you humans would say. I know my sister Raven better than you might believe Richard. She will not desist until she can find a way to restore Beast Boy's sight."

Robin returned the hug.

"I wish I could I could stop them, but I understand what you're saying. It's their life and they have a right to live it as they choose. I just don't want them to leave Star. I want them to stay, even if they do retire from active duty."

"I agree and I will speak with Raven about this. I will cut the flower before it blooms."

"Nip it in the bud." He whispered under his breath. "Of course you will Star." He answered in a louder voice before pulling her into a deep and prolonged kiss.

"I'm the luckiest guy in the world Star. I'm engaged to a wonderful and beautiful woman."

Starfire reached over and turned off the light on the nightstand.

"I wish for us to mate, my beloved."

She didn't have to ask him twice.

* * *

Raven and Beast Boy had retreated to their bedroom. Raven had led Garfield, her arm hooked around his, as they made their way from the Batcave. She was astounded at how well he was taking the situation. Did he really have that much faith in her healing powers? They were both still dirty from the rescue mission and once they got back to their room they showered together. She lovingly bathed him, scrubbing every corner of his body, pausing frequently to kiss him under the warm water that rained out of the oversized shower head. He returned the favor, exploring her figure with his hands as he also lovingly bathed her. Soon they were done and Raven watched as he dried himself off. She noticed that he had some stubble on his chin as he hadn't shaved in two days.

"I'll shave you tomorrow." She said out of the blue.

"It's OK, I can do it. I use an electric shaver anyway, it's not like I'm gonna cut myself. Just pass me my pajamas and I'll be ready for bed."

Raven leaned forward and using the sultriest voice she could muster she whispered into his ear: "You won't need them tonight."

That had been a few hours earlier and Raven had fallen into a deep sleep after they were done with their conjugal exchange. She had been able to forget, however briefly, about their predicament as she shared herself with the only man she had ever truly loved. Malchior had not counted and in any case she had never had intercourse with him, which she had thanked Azar on more than one occasion.

Raven had been resting peacefully when she suddenly awoke. She sensed that there was something in the room. As she regained her senses she could hear it, something was flying around. At first she was tempted to swat it down with her dark energy but then noticed that Garfield wasn't lying in bed next to her. Instead she used her powers to turn on every light in the room.

Then she saw it. A green bat was flying around the room, performing what to her seemed like aerial acrobatics. The small creature would dive bomb towards the beds posts, turning away at the last moment to avoid the imminent collision. It took Raven a moment to figure out what her mate was doing and when she did she smiled.

_Echo-location! _

Beast Boy had morphed into a bat and was using his sonar to "see". And judging from his elegant aerial ballet it was working like a charm. After performing a cork screw and flying between a chair's armrest and seat he zoomed back to the bed and landed in his spot, quickly morphing back into his human and still naked form.

"So what do you think Rae?"

Raven still looked surprised, not that he could see the expression on her face.

"That was amazing Gar. I guess you're the real Batman."

Beast Boy smiled. "You're not that far off the mark Rae."

"What do you mean?"

Beast Boy slipped back under the covers and carefully reached out to his wife. Once he found her he pulled her close to him.

"I haven't told you this, but I've been experimenting with partial transformation."

"Partial?"

He nodded. "Yeah, where I only transform part of my body. I've become pretty good at doing simple things, like teeth..."

Beast Boy opened his mouth, exposing what were clearly 3 rows of shark teeth. He closed his mouth and reopened it, now displaying his normal humanoid teeth.

"That's … remarkable Gar." She replied breathlessly. "How long have you been able to do this?"

"Just a few weeks." He replied, clearly proud of his achievement.

Raven suddenly brightened. "And you're going to use echo-location to see!"

"That's the plan babe. Right now the main holdup is partially morphing my brain. I need to form the proper synaptic network to process the sonar information. It's been harder than I thought it would be, but I think I can do it, it'll just take time."

Raven threw her arms around her green bean. She knew that it wouldn't be the same as seeing with his eyes.

But it was a start.

* * *

I didn't want to keep you, my faithful readers, waiting too long for an update.

In the name of expediting this chapter to your screens, I will skip mail bag today.


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

Raven walked slowly down the hallway, with the ever present open book in her hands. Her lone footsteps echoed throughout the corridor between her (and her husband's) room and the elevator. She pressed the button on the wall to summon the lift and after several seconds the doors parted open and she walked into the car. Without even having to look she pressed the button with the large 'C' on it and the elevator's doors closed and it began its journey to the level where the Common Room was.

It had been almost 3 weeks since they had returned from Gotham and Raven found being home to be very comforting. She had been able to resume her meditation schedule and had spent most of the morning meditating alone in her room, that is until she remembered that it was now lunchtime and she knew Beast Boy would be hungry.

There had been no progress in restoring the changeling's eyesight and this continued to trouble her. Once she accepted that there was little that 21st century science or medicine would be able to do for Garfield she had decided to take matters into her own hands.

She had been acquiring new spell books on a nearly daily basis, searching for something that might restore her lover's vision, but so far had struck out. She had even approached Malchior for a solution, but the dark dragon had demanded to be released first from his literary prison before he would help her. Needless to say, Raven stowed the book back in the heavy wooden chest where she kept it safely locked away, protected by a magic spell that made the lock tamper proof.

Beast Boy had made no progress with his partial transformation approach and decided to take a break from it. Seeing him fly around in bat form had become common as it was his favorite way of getting around the Tower. He had become quite expert at navigating in his chiropteran form and rather enoyed it. There was a second mode of transport he had started to use and the others found it to be amusing.

What wasn't amusing to Raven was that in spite of her repeated pleas, Starfire would not let her and Beast Boy off the hook regarding the promise they had made to her after they had married suddenly while the Tamaranian was away in Gotham. More than once Raven had mentally kicked herself for agreeing so quickly to the princess's request in order to pacify her. In hindsight it had been a foolish bargain, a bargain she was unable to back out of. She still couldn't believe given the current circumstances that Starfire wouldn't cut them some slack. The Tamaranian had always projected the image of being a "sweetie pie" as Beast Boy sometimes described her, but Raven knew very well that when the chips were down Starfire could be as ruthless as Slade, and even less forgiving.

The elevator chimed as it reached its destination and the sliding doors opened, revealing the Common Room. Cyborg was in the kitchen assembling himself a sandwich large enough to feed a small platoon. Robin and Starfire were seated at the dining table and were finishing their own lunches. The princess turned her gaze to the elevator and beamed as she saw it occupants.

"Raven! Beast Boy! You have come to join us for lunch."

A green parrot was perched on Raven's shoulder and it squawked before it replied to Starfire's greeting in a perfect "Polly wants a cracker" voice.

"You bet Star!"

Raven walked up to the table and stopped next to the two chairs that she and Garfield always occupied. She raised her hand to her shoulder and extended her index finger, gently tapping Beast Boy on his claws. The chatty parrot hopped aboard her finger, grasping it with his small talons. The sorceress lowered him to the chair's seat and he morphed back into his human form, grinning as he made himself comfortable.

"What would you like me make you for lunch?"She asked him.

While they understood the situation the other three Titans were still not used to it. Prior to the trip to Gotham Raven had never, not even once, prepared a meal for her mate. And for good reason, she was still a horrid cook.

"A Tofu bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich sounds good, but I can make my own Rae, really."

The gray girl ignored the second part of the request, and began to prepare not one, but two sandwiches.

"Raven!" Starfire interjected. "Will you be partaking of the tofu for the lunchtime meal?"

Raven had already pulled two plates out of the cupboard and was placing some slices of bread on them.

"Yeah, I figured I'd give it a try."

Raven noticed that Cyborg was making a mock face of disgust and responded with one of her signature glares. The tin man turned away while she continued to assemble the vegetarian sandwiches. Starfire then chose to pick up the conversation.

"Raven, are you not excited? The date is approaching soon!" The orange girl gushed. "Only two more weeks!"

Raven sighed silently.

"Starfire, are you really going to hold us to this promise?" She asked as she brought the two plates to the table, setting one in front of Beast Boy and on in front of her own chair. Beast Boy had already retrieved a two liter bottle of soda and had expertly poured each of them a serving without spilling or overflowing the tumblers.

Starfire crossed her arms.

"Raven, you make it sound like this will be an unpleasant event."

"But Starfire, we are already married. Why should we get married again, and why on Tamaran?"

Raven's question was clearly rhetorical as Starfire had answered it many times already. The princess was also getting married, to Robin of course, and the wedding was to be held at the Royal Palace on Tamaran. Starfire had requested that Raven and Garfield be her and Richard's "jhumfarrs". The closest translation was that the Logans would be their 'Godparents' in the ceremony. This was required as the ceremony was to be a full blown Royal Wedding, with Richard being crowned as Starfire's prince consort at the end.

There was a catch however. In order to be jhumfarrs the Logans would need to be Tamaranian Royalty, which they clearly were not. Galfore, who was still the acting Emperor, had agreed to confer a currently dormant title upon the Logans. The Title was roughly equivalent to the Earthly title of Duke and Duchess, and their Duchy would be the barren island of Detmook, which sat on Tamaran's South Pole. It was cold and uninhabited and had served as an honorary Duchy for millennia.

Of course, in order to be granted this title Garfield and Raven would need to be married according to the laws and traditions of Tamaran. Starfire had actually asked Galfore to grant them the titles of Prince and Princess. He had of course refused, saying that no outsider has ever been granted the full title of Prince or Princess. Not even Richard would be granted that and would only be a Prince Consort, a title he would relinquish should his marriage to Starfire ever be dissolved.

Starfire was disappointed when Raven was less than enthusiastic about her new title. Of course the gray demoness was already a member of Royalty, though she was ashamed of the realm the title was associated with. She was a princess, as the fire demons had attested through their obedience to her commands.

Before Starfire could answer Cyborg spoke up.

"Yo B! I got a reply from Star Labs."

Beast Boy dropped his half eaten sandwich onto his plate.

"Well don't keep us in suspense! What did they say?" Raven replied for both of them.

"They said they can't clone eyeballs by themselves, but they have an idea, a workaround if you want to call it that way."

"A workaround?" Beast Boy asked. "What kind of workaround?"

"Well, y'all know that cloning humans is illegal, right?"

"I believe we established that as a fact." Raven droned in her monotone.

"But it's perfectly legal to clone animals."

"What? Cy, what are they thinking of doing?" Beast Boy asked.

"It's really simple BB. You morph in to an animal, preferably a sheep since there's a lot of expertise in cloning those. Then I take a blood sample from you while in sheep form and we send it to them. They clone a sheep and harvest its eyes. Once they have them you morph into a sheep and they swap your eyeballs. Since they have your jacked up DNA in them they should morph with the rest of your body."

Beast Boy frowned and crossed his arms.

"Sorry Cy, no can do."

Cyborg's human eye almost popped out of its socket.

"Why the hell not?"

The changeling sighed before explaining his reason for declining.

"Cy, I can't sacrifice a sheep's life to steal its eyes from it!"

The tin man grinned.

"They're a step ahead of you grass stain. The clone won't have any higher brain activity. It'll be a vegetable from its inception. There won't be any murder because there won't be anyone to murder."

Beast Boy understood the logic Cyborg was using, but still felt uncomfortable about the moral implications of the whole procedure.

"So it'll never be truly alive?"

"Never." Cyborg promised him.

"How long will it take to grow the clone?" Raven asked.

"Well, that's one of the reasons the picked a sheep to be the host. It should take about 10 weeks to grow it. They asked me to get that blood sample to them ASAP, so why don't we swing by the infirmary later and I'll draw the blood?"

Beast Boy finally nodded his head in agreement.

"Let's do it." He murmured. "When do you want me there?"

"Let's do it now." Cyborg replied. "The sooner the better I say."

Raven took Beast Boy's hand, giving it a tight squeeze. She then did something she rarely ever did.

She smiled.

* * *

"_Hyperdrive has been deactivated. Atmospheric entry will begin in T minus 300 seconds_." The ship's nav computer informed the passengers on board with its synthetic voice.

Starfire ran into the cockpit, dragging Robin behind her. Tamaran's large, whitish sphere loomed large before them as the decelerator rockets began to fire, slowing the ship down for the final descent into Tamaran.

The ship was large and of a clearly alien design, Kryptonian to be precise. The spacious vessel was transporting the 5 Titans of course. Superman, Supergirl, Batman and Alfred had also joined the 5 young adults on their voyage. Kal-El and Bruce were piloting the ship, which was Justice League property, and were making final preparations to land on the planet.

"Oh Richard, is it not the most heartwarming sight in the galaxy?" The princess beamed. "It is so good to return home."

Beast Boy was seated in the spacious flight deck with Raven at his side. He could not see cosmic spectacle in front of them but he remembered well what Tamaran looked like: a jaw breaker.

"It is beautiful Star, I remember it well." The changeling remarked cheerfully.

Starfire smiled at him, then remembering that he couldn't see her she walked up to him a kissed him on the cheek. She had been doing that a lot lately and while they were clearly sisterly kisses it did bother Raven somewhat to see Starfire be so affectionate with her husband.

_You've got your own boy toy. Leave mine alone._

Raven's face did not betray the mild jealousy she was feeling and she was surprised to feel Beast Boy's hand take her own.

"I never thought of you as the jealous type Rae." He whispered in her ear.

"How did you know?" She whispered back.

"Aroma. I've become pretty good at smelling your emotions."

Raven chuckled. "So it's true that dogs really can smell fear."

He smiled before answering. "That and a lot of other things."

Meanwhile Robin stared out the large windshield at the front of the ship. It now finally felt real, like it was really going to happen. He was going to pledge himself, for life, to Starfire. The huge white orb stood in silent testimony that it was really going to happen. Batman motioned for everyone to sit and buckle themselves in, which Robin and Starfire did.

He had just turned 19 a few months before. It was a contradiction really. Legally he was an adult and he had been the Titan's leader for over 5 years now. He had faced criminal masterminds, deadly robots, and ooze emitting monsters, yet he was now terrified.

He wasn't afraid of committing himself to Starfire, in fact he was feeling guilty about not having done so sooner. While he knew that Tamaranians did not have the same sexual mores as humans he was feeling relieved that they were going to become 'legit'. He and Starfire had continued to share their bed as well as their bodies with each other since returning from Gotham and he had enjoyed it thoroughly. His parents had been very traditional people and he wondered if they would have approved of his premarital relationship with Starfire. He knew that his intentions, while perhaps impatient, had always been honorable yet there was a nagging voice in the back of his mind that kept accusing him of dishonoring his fiancé.

But the truth of the situation is that it was the ceremony that scared him. He had never been big on pomp and circumstance, and he knew that the Tamaranians would be taking it to a whole new level. He knew well that he was a commoner, a nobody in the eyes of the Tamaranian royalty. Part of him felt that he didn't belong there and that when all was said and done he was unworthy of the Princess's hand. He closed his eyes as he tried to focus his attention away from the unpleasant thoughts. Raven had once given him some basic training in meditation and he decided that now would be as good time as any to put it to good use.

The descent to the surface was bumpy as the planet's atmosphere was turbulent that day. Several hurricanes raged around the globe, stirring up the atmosphere like a boiling pot of water. Eventually the ride smoothened out and Robin opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was the castle looming ahead. It seemed to be taller than he remembered, its many spires reaching up into the sky as if they wished to pluck Tamaran's moon from the sky and pull to the ground. As they continued to approach the castle he was able to see the landing pad. It was a new one, large enough to accommodate the sleek and massive Kryptonian vessel. He was able to discern a large honor guard that stood waiting for them. As they approached the landing pad he saw the myriad of banners and weapons the honor guard were bearing.

The ship hovered over the pad and after extending its landing gear it landed with the delicacy of a snowflake. As the exit ramp lowered itself the honor guard repositioned itself around the ramp. Galfore walked up to the ramp, prepared to greet the Princess and her entourage.

The Kryptonians were the first to emerge and they walked down the ramp with their backs straight, standing tall. Their red capes billowed in the alien breeze and all eyes were on their chests, fixated on the legendary Kryptonian family crest which by mere coincidence resembled the letter 'S' in the Roman alphabet. The honor guard snapped to attention as Galfore raised his fist to his shoulder in salute.

"Welcome Kal-El, we finally meet. And I welcome you as well Kara Zor-El"

The Kryptonians acknowledged his salute.

"Thank you Galfore. I am pleased to finally visit Tamaran. Our people have much in common." Superman replied. After exchanging further pleasantries the Kryptonians moved on.

Batman and Alfred were the next to emerge, followed by Cyborg. Galfore acknowledged Batman as the bridegroom's "father" with the honors that came with that position.

The next to come down the ramp were Beast Boy and Raven. Raven had her arm hooked around Garfield's as they emerged from the ship. Galfore addressed them as they reached the bottom of the ramp.

"I welcome you, not only to Tamaran, but to the Royal Family as well." He boomed as he towered over the diminutive heroes.

"We are grateful for this honor." The Logans replied in unison in a well rehearsed reply, after which they bowed to the acting Emperor. Galfore then addressed Beast Boy.

"Word of your daring act has reached us young changeling, as has news of your wound. You have shown yourself to be brave and honorable. You will no doubt be a fine addition to our family."

"Thank you, your Excellence." They replied before moving on.

Finally, Robin and Starfire emerged, arm in arm. The honor guard dropped to their knees while Galfore's serious demeanor was replaced with a wide grin.

"Welcome home Princess, we have all missed you. You were right in that your groom was to be found on Earth."

"Thank you Galfore, I am most happy to be home again."

"So am I, my dear Koriand'r, especially now that you have returned to stay."

"What?" The couple gasped in one breath.

"Galfore, what do you mean by that?" Starfire replied. "My home is now on Earth."

Galfore frowned.

"I have ruled in your absence for nearly 4 years Princess, but now I find myself in poor health and can no longer serve our people. You will be crowned as Empress after the wedding vows are exchanged."

Starfire looked shocked and Robin was barely able to shroud the panic that was filling every fiber in his body.

"Galfore, this is so sudden. Why did you not inform us of this? And why must you step down from your office? You do not look ill."

The huge warrior dropped his head before answering.

"I apologize to both of you. I only learned of my condition yesterday. I have a disease that is similar to the one that is known on Earth as 'cancer'. Unlike on your world it is a very rare ailment on Tamaran and we have no treatment for it. The Royal physicians have predicted that I have at most 90 moonrises until the disease claims me.

* * *

And I bet you thought this story was over! Well, you guessed wrong.

Thanks to all of you for reviewing! The percentage of reviews vs. hits for this story is very high. Also, we just moved past the 10,000 hit mark. Once again I want to thank you for making this story a success.

Also, if you've been wondering what's going on with my other story "Through a Dark Mirror", I've put it on hold until I finish this story.


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

The contingent from Earth was simply stunned at the news, which hit them all like a bucket of ice water. Not even Raven was able to conceal the expression of shock from her face. There was an uncomfortable silence that cast a pall over the reunion and which hung in place like an unwanted guest that refused to leave. Finally Starfire spoke up.

"Galfore." She asked tearfully. "Are you saying that you have the 'chuthrah'?"

The huge Tamaranian replied somberly. "I am afraid so my princess. I apologize for the inconvenience."

"Galfore, you said that this 'chuthrah' is similar to what we call cancer. What kind of cancer is this? What part of your body is affected? Pardon my intrusion, but we might be able to help." Cyborg interrupted.

"Cyborg is correct." Raven added in her monotone. "Cancer is a very common disease on Earth and there are many treatments for it."

Galfore nodded.

"Your concern is appreciated, but do not forget that I am not human and that my physiology is different from yours."

"You'd be surprised." Cyborg continued. "Star Labs has a lot of experience with extraterrestrial biology. They might be able to help you. It's worth a try."

"Oh yes my knorfka! Please listen to Cyborg; for he is most wise in these matters!"

Starfire flew up to Galfore and wrapped her arms around his huge neck.

"Please let us help you." She implored as she buried her face into his massive shoulder.

Galfore nodded as he replied. "For you my dear Koriand'r I will try." She released him, beaming with hope.

"My 'chuthrah' is of the blood. My yellow blood cells are being overproduced, or so the Royal Physicians tell me."

Cyborg frowned. He had learned from Starfire that Tamaranian medicine consisted mostly of dressing battle wounds. The orange aliens were not as susceptible to illness as humans were and had never bothered to find cures for the extremely rare diseases that afflicted them. It also simply wasn't in their culture to find ways to prolong life when a body became too feeble to survive. To do so was considered wasteful as well as an insult to a warrior, which all Tamaranians were. To die when one became old was considered the honorable thing to do. That Galfore had agreed to attempt a treatment was unusual to say the least, even though he was still merely middle aged by Tamaranian standards.

"We're going to need some blood samples to send back to Star Labs" The tin man announced.

"The Royal Physicians already have them. I will instruct them to give them to you."

"We'll need to get those back to Earth immediately." Batman interjected.

All eyes were on the Kryptonians, who could travel faster than any starship.

"I'll take them Kal-El." Kara volunteered. "You should stay here for the ceremonies."

A middle aged Tamaranian woman stepped forward. She looked fierce and had more than a few scars on her body.

"This is Ariand'r, she is my prime minister. She will take you to the physicians."

"I greet you, mighty Kara Zor-El. Your achievements are known throughout the sector. Please follow me."

Kara bowed politely and then followed the warlike Tamaranian into the castle. After they had entered the castle Galfore spoke up.

"Please, do not allow my condition to affect your moods, for we have gathered to celebrate! The first ceremony will be held tomorrow at moonset." He announced as he turned to Raven and Beast Boy. "You will be joining our family when I knight both of you after the ceremony. I am certain that Koriand'r has already explained to you that this is an unprecedented honor for outsiders and once you are knighted you will be Tamaranians in every sense of the word, your biology notwithstanding. If we could do something about that we would."

The Logans bowed politely. Neither of them really wanted to become Tamaranian Royalty, but understood the incredible exception that was being made in their case and the unbelievable honor it was to be legally declared Tamaranians.

"We thank you for this honor." They replied, once again in a rehearsed reply.

Galfore laughed loudly, his voice boomed over the others.

"Let us be joyful!" He replied as several Tamaranians approached. They wore uniforms that identified them as castle staff. "Tomorrow we celebrate, but for now you may rest if you so desire. My staff will show you to your rooms."

* * *

Robin looked around his room. Unlike the last time they had visited it was furnished in a typical North American style, including a proper bed and mattress. There was even a closet, furnished with Tamaranian outfits and ceremonial armor. He put down his suitcase and examined the closet's contents more closely. Starfire was with him and she had already told him about what would be expected of him: he would have to change into Tamaranian clothes.

That didn't bother Robin, as male attire wasn't as revealing as what most females wore which in some cases consisted of little more than a bikini. But what caught his eye was the ceremonial sword he would be expected to wear to the two wedding ceremonies. It was mounted on top of a very sturdy table and was as massive as she had predicted. He wrapped his hands around the hilt and tried to pick it up and found to his dismay that he couldn't even budge it as it weighed close to 500 kilograms. He backed away, clearly frustrated with his failure. Starfire then grabbed it and picked it up as if it were a child's toy.

"Now I see why you had Cyborg make those replica swords out of aluminum." He grumbled. "Star I need to ask you a question."

The princess was performing a Tamaranian version of a 'kata', performing a fixed set of moves with her sword as she battled imaginary enemies. Every Tamaranian child learned these forms starting as early as kindergarten and it was obvious from her very swift and elegant moves that she was performing with the greatest of ease that she was still quite skilled in its use. She completed the form before replying.

"What is it Richard? You look upset. Has something happened?"

The Boy Wonder sighed.

"Star, I couldn't even move that sword."

She smiled. "Of course Richard. You are human and lack the physical strength to handle such a weapon. But do not be troubled my beloved as there are few non Tamaranians who can wield our weapons."

Richard sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Star, you Tamaranians, you're very proud of your physical strength and abilities, right?"

She nodded. "Our culture is built around our physical strength and our skill as warriors."

Robin paused before continuing.

"So how do Tamaranians feel about Kryptonians?"

Starfire's face betrayed that she had understood the point of his questions.

"I see what you are trying to say. The Kryptonian's strength and abilities dwarf our own, especially Kal-El. He is spoken of in reverential tones amongst my people." She paused before continuing. "Richard, I do not consider you to be inferior. While you lack our physical strength you are a formidable warrior. You proved that the last time we visited, when you escaped from the detention center and overwhelmed our guards."

"I did, but I had the other Titan's help." He paused again. "Starfire, will your people accept me as your consort? I mean, what if Star Labs can't cure Galfore and we have to stay? Sure, I know that your people will be polite to me, but will they really accept me, will they respect me?"

Starfire gave him a fierce look.

"They will!" She thundered. "To not would be treason!"

Robin shook his head.

"That's not what I meant Star…" His voice trailed off.

Her eyes opened wide with alarm.

"Richard! You are not getting the cold feet?"

Robin leaped to her side and wrapped his arms around her.

"Of course not Star, how could I? You know I couldn't live without you. If we had to live in Hell I'd follow you there…"

"But you are worried that you won't be happy here on Tamaran."

"I suppose so." He replied flatly. "Remember when you were tried to leave Earth, when you thought your sister was going to replace you? How you felt you didn't fit in, neither on Earth nor with the Titans. Well, that's kind of how I feel now. I'll be your consort and I know that everyone will bow to me and say things like 'yes my lord' but I know that in private they're gonna laugh behind my back. 'The prince can't eat our food', 'the prince is a weakling'. But worst of all they will say 'the prince is not one of our kind'. I guess I don't know what to expect Starfire. I hate to admit this, but I'm afraid."

Starfire took his hand.

"I understand Richard. I wish that I did not have to ask this of you. I love living on Earth, it is my true home now. But I have a duty to my people and they will need me to rule them if Galfore does not heal from his illness."

He nodded. "I understand Star and I'll learn to deal with it. There's no way I won't marry you."

She beamed back at him. "We will make many visits to Earth to see our friends. And I am most relieved that you will be my husband, for I have some good news that I have just learned of earlier today."

Robin perked up. "I sure could use some good news Star, what is it?"

The princess smiled demurely.

"I am with child."

* * *

Raven grumbled as she dressed in the Tamaranian armor. For one thing it didn't fit her well, as Tamaranians in general lacked her curvy and somewhat voluptuous figure. Squeezing her hips and thighs into the lower section had proven to be an ordeal, even with Starfire's assistance. The princess had located an ancient set of armor for Raven that was "curvier" that the typical set of female armor and with the help of the Royal Armorer it was modified to fit around Ravens hips. Her ample bust was proving to be a bigger challenge and the blacksmith continued to hammer away, modifying the top part of the armor to accommodate the sorceress's bosom.

Raven was in a foul mood and Starfire repeatedly apologized about forgetting to send her measurements in advance to the armorer. It didn't help that Beast Boy's armor had fit him the first time he tried it on. He wisely chose to say nothing and sat down in the far corner of the room.

Finally, after much effort and hammering the armor finally fit Raven's figure. Starfire continued to help her get prepared. Once she was done she led Raven to a full length mirror, where she fitted her with another of the prop ceremonial swords that was made of aluminum.

"Raven, you are a beautiful bride, do you not agree?"

Raven stared at her reflection, dispassionately as always.

_I look like a gladiator. This will make for a fine picture in the wedding album. I suppose I shouldn't complain though. There are alien cultures where the bride and groom are married in the nude. I should thank Azar for small favors._

"It looks wonderful Starfire." She dead panned.

Starfire beamed in response.

"Come friends. It is time for the ceremony."

* * *

Even though Raven had mentally prepared herself for the ceremony she almost came unglued as Starfire walked her into the cavernous assembly hall. Beast Boy was already standing at the far end of the hall on a dais as Robin had escorted him there while the bride and her attendant (Starfire) waited outside.

There were thousands of people filling the hall, far more than had been present when Blackfire had tried to marry her sister off to that oozing alien. The horrendous Tamaranian trumpets sounded and Raven winced in pain. She saw that Beast Boy was unfazed, as he no doubt had temporarily morphed his eardrums away. It took all of Raven's willpower to not raise her hands to cover her ears and none too soon the blaring noise was gone.

Starfire accompanied Raven to the dais where the others stood waiting for her. Her armor creaked with every step she took down the long aisle. After what felt like an eternity she was at Garfield's side.

_The things I do out of friendship._

She took Garfield's hand and he squeezed back. Galfore cleared his throat.

"Raven Roth, do you take Garfield Logan as your husband?"

"I do." She replied.

"Garfield Logan, do you take Raven Roth as your wife?"

"I do." He replied.

"It is done" Galfore boomed as he drew his sword. "Are you ready to take the oath of loyalty?"

The Logans dropped to their knees.

"We are." They replied in unison.

"Do you swear your loyalty to the Tamaranian Empire?"

"We do." They replied.

"Do you swear to serve Tamaran before all other worlds?"

"We do."

"Do you swear your allegiance to the Emperor of Tamaran?"

"We do."

"Do you swear to protect and serve the people of Tamaran, even at the cost of your own lives?"

"We do."

Galfore then took his sword and drove it deep into the ground.

"It is done. Henceforth you will be known as the Duke and Duchess of Detmook."

The assembly erupted into loud cheering and applause. Galfore let out a booming laugh.

"Let the festivities begin!"

The assembly hall became a whirlwind of activity as every guest began to move around. Tables and chairs appeared out of nowhere and where quickly set up. A large round table was carried up to the dais by two burly men who sat it down and who were followed by two women who produced the chairs and then set the table. Everyone took their place at the table. Galfore, as Emperor, was seated first, followed by Starfire and an unexpected guest.

"Blackfire!" The Titan's shouted in unison.

"You didn't expect me to miss the fun, did you?" She replied as she turned to Starfire. "And just for the record sister, if you'd like I can assume the crown, so you and hubby can stay on Earth."

"That will not be possible sister."

Blackfire grinned. "You can't blame a deposed Empress for trying, right?"

The Logans were the next to be seated, followed by the rest of the guests in the assembly hall.

As soon as they were seated several servants showed up, carrying platters full of both Tamaranian and North American style food. Cyborg leaned over and smelled the aromas.

"Yo Star, when did your people learn to cook Earth food? This is good stuff."

The princess grinned.

"I hired a chef from Earth."

"You did?" Beast Boy replied. "That was a great idea Star, where did you find him?"

"On the television."

"He's a TV chef?" Raven asked in surprise. "Which one?"

"There were many to choose from, so I chose the one who I felt would best fit in with our culture."

At that moment an angry voice could be heard shouting in the kitchen, a voice with a distinct English accent.

"Star, you didn't?" Robin exclaimed.

"How did you pull that off?" Cyborg asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Raven droned. "With a lot of money."

At that moment the chef came barging out of the kitchen, chewing out one of his Tamaranian assistants.

"And you call yourself a chef?" He screamed at the man.

Beast Boy laughed out loud.

"You got Gordon Ramsey?"

* * *

I was really tempted to hit you guys with another cliffhanger, but I will spare you today.


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

The festivities were continuing into the night. Tamaran's lesser royalty and the upper class commoners lined up to pay their respects to Beast Boy and Raven, who were already uncomfortable with their new role as Tamaranian aristocracy. Starfire had prepared them for the situation, instructing them in the finer nuances of Tamaranian protocol which they executed flawlessly. Their only shortcoming was that they could not speak the language and had to rely on an interpreter as few Tamaranians spoke English, French or Azarathian.

The feast had been exquisite. Chef Ramsey had brought his own crew from Earth and contrary to his earlier protests the local kitchen staff had proven itself to be quite competent.

Robin and Starfire also made the rounds and the princess introduced her betrothed to countless friends, relatives and sycophants. Robin tried to read the expressions on their alien faces but more often than not found them to be inscrutable. They reminded him of how Starfire had been like when he first met her: aloof and cold as steel. He somehow doubted he would be able to win these people's confidence and acceptance the way he had with his fiancé. Yet in a few days he would be crowned as their Prince, the Empress's consort. And if Galfore did not recover he would be spending the rest of his life on Tamaran.

He also wondered how the citizenry might react if they found out he had knocked her up before getting married. A child, his child was on its way. He still couldn't believe it. Cyborg had told him once that the probability of conception between a human and a Tamaranian was very low, low enough in fact that Starfire's pregnancy could be considered a bona fide miracle. It was so much to internalize, to process. Just a few short years ago he was a shy teenager, too self conscious to admit in front of his friends that he had feelings, deep feeling for Starfire. And he recalled how he almost blew his chances with her when he uttered those monumentally stupid words on the space station: "She's not my girlfriend."

She had the patience of a saint with him, even as he screwed up again in Tokyo. Fortunately he had come to his senses after they defeated Brushogun's monster. The truth was they had made it this far in spite of his monumental stupidity. At least now he knew better and would stay by her side no matter what.

As the thoughts flowed through Robin's mind he felt a strong yet soft hand grab his own. He turned to look at her. She was dressed in an outfit that was virtually the identical to the once she wore when he saw her for the first time. Her figure had filled out since that day and the armor highlighted her feminine curves which would not betray the fact that she was pregnant for months to come. She also wore the strange 'M' shaped crown around her face. He too would soon be wearing one and he wondered if he would ever get used to that.

Robin had learned that the pregnancy would highlight some differences between Starfire's alien physiology and that of human women. He had known for some years that Tamaranians had descended feline like creatures. What he did not know was that Tamaranian women, like their feline ancestors, had more than two breasts. The secondary mammary glands were vestigial and the only visible sign of them were very small nipples that Starfire's costume had always covered. However, during her pregnancy they would fill out giving the princess a very non human appearance. He became aware of this for the first time when they became lovers. As first he was taken aback by his discovery, but didn't give it much thought afterwards, at least until he found out that Starfire's second pair of breasts would engorge during the pregnancy and remain that way until they were no longer needed. His initial reaction was perhaps predictable for a young healthy man: "More for me!"

She led him to the huge balcony that was next to the large assembly room where everything had taken place. Tamaran's alien moon hung in the sky. It was much smaller that Earth's unusual moon and glowed an eerie green color. As she led him to the edge of the balcony he could see the planet's single ocean, more of a giant lake really, in the distance. The aromas his nostrils sensed were also strange as were the sounds of the night. The only thing familiar to him was the beautiful woman who was holding his hand.

"How did you convince Gordon Ramsey to come to Tamaran?" He spoke up, uncomfortable with the silence.

"It was most challenging my betrothed." She responded. "I tried to contact him directly through the television station, but they were not very helpful. They suggested that I contact his agent, whose name and telephone number were difficult to procure. After many trials I was able to contact the agent."

Robin looked amused, having a hunch of where this story was headed.

"So what happened?"

"Well, at first the agent did not believe who I said I was and contacted the local police. Once he was satisfied with that he told me what Mr. Ramsey's fees were and I accepted them. He then asked where the banquet would be and when I said it would be on Tamaran he became very agitated and he said would have to speak with Mr. Ramsey first before booking him."

"I'll bet that got his attention."

"Yes it did Richard. Anyway, the agent called back a week later and said that Mr. Ramsey would do it for free if we provided transportation and allowed him to film the weddings for his television show. I then informed the agent that would not be possible. He then told me what Mr. Ramsey's fee would be and I agreed to it. He also demanded to be paid in advance."

"Wow, that sure sounds like him. So how much did he cost?"

"His fee was 1 million of what are known as 'Euros'. And that we provide the transportation as well."

Robin gasped.

"You paid him over a million dollars?"

"It did include all of the ingredients for the two feasts."

Robin laughed.

"You did great Star. He was the perfect choice. Did you have a backup?"

She nodded.

"I was also considering Chefs Morimoto, Emeril and Batali."

"Wow, I guess it pays to be you. They all would have been great choices."

Starfire nodded as she gazed at the distant beach and sighed.

"What's the matter Star?"

"I am so happy to be back on Tamaran, but I know that for you our customs and culture must be strange and alien."

"I won't lie to you Starfire, they can seem strange. But I've also learned that just because something is different it doesn't mean that it's bad." He said as he gently drew her close to him.

"Richard, I would like to teach you another of our customs."

He smiled as he replied. "Whatever you want Star."

She looked up at the green moon, which was full.

"Come with me to the water's edge Richard."

"A moon light walk on the beach? Sure, that sounds great."

She shook her head.

"No my beloved, I do not wish to walk."

Robin was confused, not knowing where this was going.

"Are going fishing?" He joked.

She giggled before answered.

"No Richard, I do not wish to hunt for fish."

"Then tell me, what do you want to do?"

She became airborne and holding his hand she lifted him into the air with her. She then shifted her hands around so that she was holding him under his arms and they sped off to the uninhabited coastline. Within less than a minute they were alone in a deserted cove; their only company was the waves that pounded on the deserted beach.

"This is nice Star, so why are we here?"

"I wish to mate here under the full moon my beloved."

Sometimes Robin just couldn't believe how lucky he was.

"So this is a local Tradition? To make love on the beach before getting married?"

The Princess giggled as she began to disrobe.

"I decided that we should create a new tradition, even if it is our own private tradition."

"I've always believed those are the best kind Star." He replied as he drew her in for a kiss.

* * *

The days passed quickly and soon it was the day of the Royal wedding. The palace was abuzz with the preparations for the ceremony, and it was quickly becoming obvious that it would eclipse Raven and Beast Boy's event of a few days earlier.

The Logan's had learned during the days before that as high ranking members of the Royal Family they had extensive protocol related duties that would occupy them all the day prior to the ceremony. Their first job was to receive and welcome the endless stream of interplanetary dignitaries. Blackfire had also been recruited by Galfore to help them. Once again Raven had to don the much hated armor and she sighed as she realized that she would be wearing it all day. Blackfire wore her "M" shaped crown that identified her as a princess while the Logans being lower ranked as Duke and Duchess did not wear any headgear. Still, they had to carry their ceremonial prop swords, which even though they were made of aluminum and the blades were hollow still weighed close to 25 kilograms.

The dignitaries began to arrive after sunrise, landing their alien ships on the huge plain behind the castle. The ships came in all shapes and sizes: saucers, cigar shaped, spherical and shapes that defied description. Some were so small that they carried a single passenger while others were vast enough to accommodate thousands of passengers.

The dignitaries were just as diverse as their ships, coming in all sizes, shapes and colors. Not all were humanoids, and Raven thought it was interesting to see the different aliens arrive. Some reminded her of spiders and other insect morphologies. Others were avian in nature. The aquatics were most interesting as they often lacked limbs for use on land.

But the humanoids outnumbered all the other species combined. There was a great deal of diversity within the humanoid camp however, as they too came in all sizes and colors. Earthlings were definitely about average sized in that crowd. Some, like the Omicronians were simply huge. Others were small, the size of human children.

As the morning dragged on the Logans had lost count of every alien they had greeted and Raven was beginning to feel that it was becoming a blur as she was having trouble keeping track of who was from Arcturus and which ones were the Denebians. That is until she saw him.

"Gar." She whispered in his ear with an alarmed tone. "You won't believe who's in line."

Beast Boy frowned as he carefully sniffed the air.

"I know who it is. How could I ever forget his bigoted stench?" He hissed in reply.

As the Logans became visibly stiff a tall, muscular humanoid approached them. His complexion was silver and he had an arrogant smile on his face.

"You aren't welcome here Val-yor. Why have you come?" Raven growled at him.

The silver alien chuckled. "So it's true. The two of you have become honorary Troqs."

"We're not honorary Val-yor, we are fully fledged Tamaranian citizens." Beast Boy replied in an uncharacteristic monotone which then switched to a guttural growl. "And if you ever say that word again I will personally rip your head off."

Val-yor roared with laughter.

"Big words from a blind man."

"He's not bluffing." Raven snarled. "But he is assuming that I won't rip your head off first."

Val-yor raised his hand in a defensive gesture.

"Now, now Titans, I'm here on official business." He replied as he handed them his official invitation.

Raven snatched the invitation from his hand and examined it with the care of a forensic lab specialist before handing it back to him.

"Behave yourself." She snarled at him as he entered the castle. "And we aren't kidding about watching your mouth."

Val-Yor grinned at them before walking away. They kept a stern eye on him until he disappeared into the castle.

"What the hell Rae? Why did he get invited?"

The sorceress sighed. "Politics I guess."

* * *

The Royal Wedding was also held in the large assembly hall. This time it was standing room only as there were almost 10 times as many guests compared with the Logan's ceremony. The Logans, along with Blackfire who had been with them the whole time, were among the last to enter the cavernous room. A dais, larger than the one used last time, was set up in the middle of the hall. The din was overwhelming and Raven had to shout to be heard over the crowd.

"What brought you back Blackfire?" She asked the dark haired princess. "Are you hoping for a pardon?"

"Raven darling, being cynical doesn't suit you." She replied as she waved to the crowd. "You should smile more sweetheart, you are a duchess now after all."

Raven ignored Backfire's reply and instead focused on the huge dais. Galfore was already there and was flanked by Batman and Superman, both who were attired in Tamaranian war armor as well. The Dark Knight did not remove his cowl however, even though Richard had agreed to remove his mask for the ceremony if he was allowed to wear a helmet. As the three stragglers made it to the top the crowd began to quiet down. Raven surveyed the assembly and estimated that 1/3 were non Tamaranians. Raven noticed that the Secretary General of the United Nations was seated in the VIP section. She did not know that he would be present and wondered if something was afoot.

The crowd suddenly fell silent as the huge doors opened, revealing Robin's armored figure. He walked to the dais at a brisk but unhurried pace. As he reached the top he bowed first to Galfore, then to Blackfire and finally to the Logans.

As soon as he was done the Tamaranian trumpets sounded their ear shattering welcome. The doors opened again and Starfire entered the hall. Unlike the previous time when she was almost married off to that alien pile of living ooze, she wore her battle armor. To everyone's surprise she also wore an Earth style wedding veil over her head. She too quickly approached the dais and climbed the stairs to its top, where she bowed to Galfore. She then exchanged bows with her sister and then was bowed to by the Logans. She then faced her groom, who bowed to her. Raven then stood at Starfire's side while Beast Boy stood at Robin's side.

Galfore cleared his throat and in a booming voice addressed the assembled crowd.

"Citizens of Tamaran, honored guests. We gather here today to witness an unusual joining. The princess has chosen her consort from another world. This union will be not only between the Princess Koriand'r and her betrothed, but it will also be the joining of two different peoples: those of Tamaran and Earth. The Secretary General of the United Nations of Earth has come to Tamaran, not only to the witness this marriage, but to sign a treaty between Tamaran and Earth. This treaty will have our two worlds join together in a confederation of sovereign worlds. We invite other worlds to join us in this confederation, which will be a force to defend against and oppose tyrants like the Citadel and the Gordanians."

Galfore's speech was received with a thunderous reception. He raised his hand to silence the crowd.

"But now, we have a wedding to perform." He thundered and the crowd thundered back its approval.

He addressed the Logan's first.

"I ask the Duke and Duchess of Detmook, are you ready and willing to take the role as the jhumfarrs for the Princess and her consort?"

"We are and we will." They replied together.

He then turned to Robin.

"Robin of the Earth's Titans, do you take the Princess Koriand'r as your wife and sovereign, and do you promise to honor and obey her?"

"I do." He replied.

Galfore then turned to Starfire.

"Princess Koriand'r, do you take Robin of Earth's Titans as your husband and Prince Consort?"

"I do!" She shouted.

"Then it is done!" Galfore shouted as the assembly erupted in applause.

Once the fanfare had died out Robin lifted her veil and the couple exchanged an Earthly kiss. Once they were done she turned to face Galfore and dropped to her knees. Galfore removed the 'M' shaped crown from his face, and after removing the Princess's face crown he then placed his own crown on her face.

"I present to you the Empress Koriand'r of Tamaran!"

The crowd cheered its approval while the Logans quietly moved to the rear of the dais, allowing the Graysons to bask in the limelight.

"So you think he's really going to obey her Rae?" He asked with a soft chuckle. "Since when does Robin obey anyone?"

"Why not? You always obey me." Raven teased him.

"I only do it for the sex." He joked back at her.

"So now the truth comes out." She droned in her monotone. "I never knew I was that good."

He smiled at her. "Trust me Rae, you are that good." He replied before leaning over and kissing her on the cheek.

As the guests moved to the outside reception area a single lone figure approached Tamaran and entered the atmosphere. She was towing an airtight container behind her with the equipment and medication necessary for Galfore's treatment. She also carried a datapad for Cyborg with the treatment instructions.

The datapad also contained additional information for Cyborg. It was bad news, but not about Galfore.

It was bad news about Beast Boy.

* * *

Another cliffhanger! Go ahead! Hate me! Now you'll have to wait for the next chapter!

Bwahahahaha!

Just kidding (about the Bwahahahaha!). Thanks to all of you for reading and reviewing. This story has exceeded my expectations.


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

Raven was resting peacefully in the bed that Starfire had arranged to be shipped from Earth. It was still dark outside which wasn't all that surprising, given Tamaran's 25 hour rotation cycle. The sorceress was sound asleep, which was to be expected after the previous night's festivities. Starfire hadn't warned them that a beverage called 'Tamaranian Tea' would be served with the wedding banquet. It had not been served at the Logan's banquet, where Earthly beverages like Champagne and Asti Spumante were served instead.

The 'tea' had looked, tasted and smelled inconspicuous at first. It was obviously alcoholic in nature and while Raven wasn't a boozehound by nature she found the violet colored brew to her liking. What she hadn't counted on was the wallop it packed. To make a long story short, Beast Boy had to help her walk back to their room, which was no small feat as he too had downed a few glasses of sweet Tamaranian Ambrosia. They had watched Starfire drink up one of those giant goblets that a human couldn't lift due to its massive size without any visible effect on her motor skills.

Raven was resting behind her husband, comfortably spooned with him while her arm was draped around his waist. She would have remained in that position for a few more hours had she not been suddenly jolted awake.

The first thing she noticed was that she had a headache when she woke up. She couldn't remember how she had made it back to the room, and at that moment she really didn't care. As the cobwebs cleared from her head she understood what had woken her up.

It was Beast Boy, who was having violent convulsions.

Raven snapped to a fully awake state instantly and began to evaluate the situation. Her husband was unconscious and was shaking violently. She tried to wake him up, but was unable to rouse him. His convulsions intensified and it was then that she noticed just how feverish he was. Not knowing what was wrong with she began to panic.

"Gar! Wake up!" She shouted repeatedly at him. After several more attempts she recognized that this beyond anything she could do. Thinking quickly she reached for her communicator. She flipped it open and selected Cyborg's channel."

"Cyborg! Are you awake?" She shouted into the communicator. Within seconds Cyborg's face appeared on the display.

"As a matter of fact, I am. What's wrong Raven?"

"It's Gar." She replied, unable to maintain her monotone.

"Is he having convulsions?"

Ravens eye popped open wide with surprise.

"How did you know?" She asked breathlessly.

"Never mind, I'm already on my way. Cyborg out."

Raven ran to the room's huge door and opened it just as the tin man arrived. He had a large metallic suitcase in his hand and he made a beeline to the changeling's side.

"Cyborg, what's happening to him?" Raven wailed.

Cyborg was filling a large syringe with the yellowish contents of a vial.

"I'll tell you in a second, but he needs this serum right now." He replied as he primed the needle before plunging it into his friend's green arm. Almost instantly the convulsions subsided.

"What's happening to him?" Raven asked a second time, by this time she regained control of her emotions and her monotone had returned.

"He should be waking up any second now; I want to tell both of you together."

"This is something bad, isn't it?" She growled. "Why did you hold this back from us?"

"Because I didn't find out myself until after the party. Supergirl just got back from Earth. Why do you think I was up?"

As he spoke Kara charged into the room carrying a large trunk.

"You got everything there Kara?"

The Kryptonian nodded. "It's all here, everything you told me to bring." She replied as she began to unpack the truck, which carried what appeared to be a mobile emergency room in its interior.

"Will someone please tell me what's happening!"

At that moment Beast Boy, whose convulsions had already ceased, woke.

"Rae, where are you?" He whimpered.

"Gar! Thank Azar you woke up! How do you feel?"

"Awful." He sputtered. "I feel like I'm dying."

"Garfield Mark Logan, don't even joke about that." She snapped at him before turning to Cyborg. "He's awake now, so tell us what's happening to him or so help me …"

Cyborg raised his hand.

"OK, I will. First things first, he wasn't joking. He's dying."

"WHAAATT!" Raven screeched as several marble figurines in the room where enveloped in dark energy and exploded. "That's impossible!"

Cyborg rubbed his forehead with his hand.

"It's his animal DNA, his immune system finally declared war on it. His immune system is attacking his own body. I gave him a serum to offset the symptoms but it won't last long, an hour at most."

Raven looked destroyed.

"Star Labs found out when they tried to make a clone of him in sheep form. The clones weren't getting past the embryonic stage, and when they looked deeper they found the cause."

"So what do we do tin man?" The changeling asked feebly. "Are you going to give me more of that serum?"

Cyborg shook his head. "No BB, that was a one time thing, and besides, it only treats the symptoms."

"So you're saying that there's nothing that can be done." Raven said between clenched teeth. "That I'm just going to have to sit here and watch Gar die?"

Again Cyborg shook his head.

"Star Labs put a treatment together, but we have to get started right now. BB's far more advanced than they thought. They weren't expecting the convulsions to start for a few more weeks."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Raven asked impatiently.

Cyborg dropped his head.

"There's a catch."

"A catch?" Beast Boy asked weakly.

Kara stepped away to the far side of the room to set up the equipment. Out of respect for the Logans she abstained from using her super hearing to eavesdrop on the conversation. Still as she set up the equipment she could see their faces as Cyborg explained what the 'catch' was. Beast Boy's weakened face did not betray much but Raven could not hide her abject shock. She began to shake her head and Kara was able to discern the word 'no' appear repeatedly on her lips. Kara turned away, not wanting to witness anymore of that sad scene.

"There has to be another way Cyborg." Raven whimpered. "There has to be."

"Maybe there is Raven, but we're out of time."

Raven choked back her sobs.

"It's not fair, why Cyborg, why?"

The bionic man sighed. "There is a silver lining to the cloud Raven. He's gonna get his eyesight back."

Beast Boy cleared his throat. "I'd rather be blind Cy."

Cyborg looked down at his dear friend. He had a window of less than one hour to commence treatment or it would too late.

"It's your call BB. If you refuse treatment … I'll understand."

Beast Boy reached out with his hand.

"Rae, where are you?"

Raven took his hand.

"I … I don't know what to do Rae."

Raven squeezed his feverish hand.

"Don't leave me Gar. We'll find a way to make it work, I promise."

He squeezed her hand back.

"OK then, I guess that settles it. Go ahead Cy, do it."

"Everything is set up Cyborg." Kara said.

"Thanks." Cyborg replied. "I'll get started. Why don't you go ahead and tell Robin and Star what's happened.

The Kryptonian nodded and left the room as Cyborg prepared Beast Boy for the treatment.

"This is gonna take a few hours guys, just so you know."

* * *

It had been over 4 hours since Kara informed the others of Beast Boy's condition. Starfire and Robin were the first to arrive. The Empress was clearly distraught by the situation but did not cry as her attendants were with her and she could not appear weak in their eyes. Nevertheless she was extremely worried and had paced for hours around the sitting room that was adjacent to Logan's room.

Robin stood stoically. He was dressed in Tamaranian attire, including the face crown that identified him as the Empress's mate and consort. Batman stood next to him and neither said a word for hours until Robin broke the silence.

"I guess it was only a matter of time before this happened." The Boy Wonder deadpanned. "I was hoping that it might be decades before that biological time bomb exploded. I still don't understand why it had to happen now."

Batman handed Robin the Star Labs data pad which he had been reading.

"Apparently his immune system was finally able to find the Sakutia virus that was neutralized by his animal DNA. Luck of the draw I guess."

"Bruce, do you think it's going to work?" Robin asked as he reviewed the complex analysis that was contained by the datapad. It was beyond his understanding of molecular biology.

"It should, but there is a price to pay."

"What do you mean Bruce? A price? I thought this treatment was going to cure him."

"It will, completely and totally. The Sakutia virus will be neutralized and removed from his body, permanently. But there will be a … side effect."

Kal-El and Galfore were the last to arrive and had caught the tail end of Batman and Robin's conversation.

"Tell us Batman, what is this side effect of which you speak?" Galfore asked.

Before Batman could reply the doors to the Logan's room opened, revealing Cyborg's stressed figure.

"The treatment's been completed." He informed the group in a flat, exhausted voice.

"And …" Robin replied.

"Yes, please do the telling of the prognosis." Starfire implored.

"It was successful; he's gonna live a long and healthy life."

Robin frowned. "Cy, you forgot to tell your face about the good news. Or is there something you haven't told us yet?"

Cyborg sighed. "Ya'll can come on in. He should be waking up soon."

Cyborg silently led the group into the room. The drapes were closed and it was somewhat obscure in the room. Nonetheless they all could see that Raven was sitting on the bed, cradling Beast Boys head in her lap as she ran her fingers through his hair. She too had the same crestfallen expression that Cyborg had on her face. As they approached the bed Beast Boy began to stir and woke up.

"BB, can you see us?" Cyborg asked.

The young man smiled and nodded as he sat up in the bed, with Raven's arms wrapped around him. After squinting at them a few times he replied.

"Yeah, I can. But it's really dark in here."

"I didn't want your eyes to be shocked. Star Labs recommended that we slowly ease your healed retinas back into action, if you know what I mean."

"So the drapes stay closed?"

"That's right man."

Garfield turned to face his wife. She planted a very tender kiss on his lips.

"You're as beautiful as ever Rae." He paused. "Cy, can't you turn a light on? I want to see her better."

Cyborg nodded . "Sure, this one on your nightstand isn't too bright."

The tin man reached over and flipped the low wattage light on. Beast Boy winced at the relative brightness of the lamp's output.

And everyone else gasped.

"Beast Boy!" Starfire shuddered. "What has happened to you? You are no longer green!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Batman replied.

"He isn't Beast Boy anymore."

* * *

This chapter is shorter than usual, but I will update soon.


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

"Isn't it obvious?" Batman replied.

"He isn't Beast Boy anymore."

The three Titans stared in utter disbelief at their teammate. His skin was now lily white, he was almost as pale as Raven. His eyes, while still green, no longer possessed the emerald like qualities they used to have. His ears were now shaped in a normal fashion. Curiously he still had his protruding fang as well as his green hair. Being that both were partially inorganic they did not change. His hair would continue to grow and soon enough his new color would displace the green locks that still adorned his scalp.

"Beast Boy, how do you feel?" Robin asked, breaking the silence.

"Like I wanna hurl." He replied in a sickly voice.

"Cyborg!" Starfire interjected. "Beast Boy is not feeling well, he requires assistance."

"It's OK Star; it's just a side effect of the treatment. He'll get over it."

The Empress approached the bed and placed her hand on Garfield's arm.

"Is it true Beast Boy? Have you really lost your powers?"

He nodded. "It's true, so you might as well stop calling me Beast Boy. Beast Boy's dead, gone, never coming back. So don't call me Beast Boy. From now on, I'm just Garfield, former Teen Titan."

Starfire fought back her tears.

"Oh dear friend, I am so sorry for you. But you are not a former Titan."

Nightwing steeped forward.

"She's right Garfield, you have other talents. "

"Thanks guys. But I'd like to rest now, I'm not feeling so good."

Garfield put his head back down on Raven's lap and closed his eyes.

"Sure Beas … Garfield, we'll come back when you're feeling better." Robin replied as everyone filed slowly out of the room. Starfire was that last to leave and as she closed the door she called out to Raven.

"If you need anything Raven please do call me."

As the door clicked shut Garfield took Raven's hand in his own.

"What am I going to do Raven?"

Raven carefully lifted his head from her lap and slipped under the covers next to him so they were eye to eye.

"I won't lie to you Gar and say I know how you feel. Being a changeling has been part of your life since you were a small child. I can't even begin to imagine what it was like to be able to morph into other creatures."

"I'll never be able to fly again, or swim in the depths of the ocean. I'm nothing Rae, I'm just an ordinary guy now. There's nothing special about me anymore. I know I was the lamest Titan, but at least I was a Titan. "

"Gar, I didn't fall in love with you because you were a changeling or a Titan. I love you because of who you are."

He rolled away from her, unable to meet her gaze.

"Who am I Rae? I'm not smart like you, I'm not strong like Cy or Star and I'm not talented like Robin. I'm just a mediocre guy now."

"That's not true Gar."

"It isn't? Rae, being a changeling, being a Titan, it was my life."

"What about me Gar?"

He sighed. "I don't know Rae. Am I still good enough for you?"

Raven scowled at him.

"I won't even dignify that question with an answer. Gar, you should be ashamed of yourself."

She saw his face fall and instantly regretted her harsh reply.

"Listen Gar, a lot happened today. Just a few hours ago I was told you were dying. Do you have any idea of how scared I was? Right now all the matters is that we're still together. I'm not gonna lie to you and say everything is gonna be fine, because I know that's not true. But we'll find a way to deal with this Gar. I don't know what we'll do, but right now all that matters is that you're still alive and you're going to be healthy."

She wrapped her arms tightly around him and began to sob.

"But whatever you do, don't even think for a second that I'll ever stop loving you just because you lost your powers."

"OK Rae." He replied in a sleepy voice. The sorceress could see that the effects of the treatment were catching up with him as his eyelids suddenly became heavy. Within a few seconds he was asleep. Cyborg had told Raven that he would most likely sleep for the next 24 hours as his body adjusted to its new chemistry. She gazed upon his no longer green face, which finally appeared to be at peace as he dozed.

Raven understood well what was going through his mind. He had built his self identity around being Beast Boy and not Garfield Logan. It was ironic as she knew that he loathed being green and different. But he was a changeling and he felt great affinity for all creatures. She knew that in his spare time he would morph into all sorts of animals, reveling in the experience which was done for its own sake as most of the creatures were of dubious value in a battle.

She understood that this was far worse for him than being blind. Being a changeling was at the very core of who he was. As she watched him slumber she knew that he would be redefining his self identity and knew that there very little she could do to help him.

This was going to be a crucial crossroads in their relationship. After Gar had lost his vision Raven had chatted with Barbara Gordon about how she had coped with her loss. She learned that it had been very difficult for the former Batgirl who was still adjusting to her new life in a wheelchair and her new role as Oracle. The key for Barbara was focusing on the strengths she still had, which helped with her transition.

Raven was at a loss when she tried to identify what strengths Gar would rely on and where they would take him. She could only hope and pray that wherever he ended there would be a place for her there too.

Closing her eyes she curled up next to him and within a few minutes she too was asleep.

* * *

The voyage back to Earth was postponed while Garfield recovered from his transformation. There had been a few unexpected side effects including a nasty virus that had incapacitated him for a few days. After a week had passed Cyborg gave him a clean bill of health and preparations were made for the trip home.

Galfore had responded well to his treatment, which was turned over to the Royal Physicians. Cyborg predicted that within a month that the disease would be in complete remission which meant that Starfire and Robin would soon be returning to Earth. Blackfire had left Tamaran in a huff as her sister had denied her request for a pardon and the dispensation from her exile too attend the wedding had expired. It had pained the Empress to send her sister away again but in her own words "It was the right thing to do for Tamaran."

Robin was chomping at the bit to get home. He knew that the reprieve would only be temporary as someday Galfore would be too old to rule as Starfire's regent and they would have to return to Tamaran permanently. He had made a personal resolution to learn the Tamaranian language, with goal to be somewhat fluent when they returned in several months for the birth of their child. It was a tall order, but he would do for her. But the truth was that he missed the Tower and the camaraderie of his teammates. He too was worried about Garfield and knew that uncharted territory lay ahead for his team.

At the appointed time the ship left for Earth with the two Kryptonians, Batman, Cyborg and the Logan's on board. As soon as the ship was at a safe distance from Tamaran it engaged its FTL drives and jumped into otherspace. It would be 27 hours until they reached Earth.

Things were not going well for the Logans. After Garfield had recovered from his virus he remained distant from his wife, expressing no interest in physical intimacy with her, which alarmed the sorceress. One night she had literally begged him to make love with her and his only reply was "I can't". Raven knew that she couldn't force him out of his shell but coaxing him had proven to be futile.

He spent most of the voyage home staring out the viewports into the strangeness that was otherspace. The great void they travelled in was basically an artificial wormhole that reduced the distance between Earth and Tamaran from hundreds of light years to just a few million miles. Many felt that observing otherspace with the naked eye was an exercise in futility as the constructs inside the void defied the conventional 3 dimensional frameworks that the human brain was accustomed to. Still he stared out the viewports for hours without end. It was evident to Raven that he wasn't actually looking at anything outside the ship.

The only time he spent with Raven, other than when they slept, was when they ate their meals together. There was little conversation at those times and Raven found that her patience was beginning to wear thin. Cyborg had suggested that perhaps once they got back that Garfield should see a therapist, maybe even a psychiatrist, to help him deal with his loss. Raven had never felt so powerless before and it was not an experience she enjoyed.

* * *

Two days had passed since their return to Earth. At first Garfield seemed to cheer up at being home again, but it was short lived. When they entered their apartment, which was basically their two old rooms combined into one dwelling, Garfield explored the small living room that was located in what had been his old room. On one of the walls was a poster of the 5 Titans that had been taken shortly after they had defeated the Brotherhood of Evil. Beast Boy was standing on the far left, next to Raven, with his arms crossed and his signature grin on his face. He ran his bare hand over his now obsolete image and closing his eyes he sighed deeply.

"Gar, I'm going to make an appointment for you."

He snapped back to reality before replying.

"An appointment? For what?"

Raven braced herself, as she knew this wasn't going to be easy.

"You need to see a therapist, you're depressed." She deadpanned.

"No I'm not. I'm fine."

Raven glared at him.

"You are not fine. Gar, something terrible has happened to you."

"Duh! You think I don't know that?"

"Then go see a therapist."

"I don't need to; I can deal with this myself."

"Gar, if you won't do it for yourself, do it for me please."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He accused her angrily.

"Gar, I … I don't want to lose you." She said in a weak voice.

Garfield exploded as he replied.

"Look at me Rae, look at me! I'm not Beast Boy anymore. You already lost me! I've lost me! And there's nothing anyone can do about that. Nothing!"

Without saying another word the sorceress walked over to the small filing cabinet they kept in the room. She opened the top drawer and flipped through the hanging folders until she found the one she was looking for. Silently she withdrew a piece of paper from it and walked back to him, handing the paper to him. He looked down at it. It was their Marriage Certificate.

"Whose name is on it?" She asked in her monotone.

"Garfield Mark Logan." He replied flatly.

"That's right. Garfield Mark Logan. I married you, not Beast Boy."

He put the certificate down and gave her a gentle hug.

"I'm sorry Rae. All I can say is please be patient with me."

She gave him a tender kiss. "I will."

He released her and slowly made his way to the door.

"I need to go out Rae, by myself."

"Where are you going?" She asked in a worried tone.

"I don't know, just out. My scooter is still in the garage. I haven't used it since Cy repaired it after the Nufu incident. I guess I'll be riding it more now, at least until I get a car for myself."

"Gar, you are going to be OK, right? You aren't going to do something … foolish, are you?"

He gave her a small smile.

"Don't worry Rae, I'm not going to throw myself off a bridge or anything. If I was going to kill myself there's enough lethal junk in the evidence room to accomplish that. I just want to get out and see the town. I don't really have a plan."

"Let me come with you Gar…"

He raised his hand in a gesture to silence her.

"Don't worry Rae, I'll be OK. I'll be back by dinner time."

Raven hesitated before answering.

"OK, how about we go out to that place you like so much, you know, The Green Sprout."

He gave her a quizzical look.

"Rae, you hate that place. They only serve vegetarian food there."

Her only reply was a pleading look.

He chuckled.

"OK, it's a date. Wanna meet me there at 6?"

"Sure."

"Alright then, I'll see you at six." He said as the door slid shut behind him.

* * *

Beast Boy walked slowly through the Tower as he made his way to the garage. It seemed to him that every corner, every nook and cranny in the Tower was packed with some memory. Memories of when he was somebody, when he was a superhero. He knew that the Tower was home, but he just couldn't stand to be there any longer. He felt suffocated by his memories, by his loss. He felt so limited, so contained.

Suddenly he found himself in the garage, next to the pegboard where Cyborg kept the keys to the vehicles. It was there, in the upper right corner, a pair of keys each with a tag labeled 'Tidwell', they were for the old scooter he had borrowed from the Nufu's fake restaurant and never returned.

He hadn't even looked at it since Cyborg finally got around to repairing it, which was a whole year after the incident with the cow stealing aliens. But it was still there, parked in stall #5 which matched the number above the hook.

He grabbed the key and inserted it into the scooters ignition and much to his surprise it started on the first try. The gas tank was full and his helmet was still hanging from the scooter's fairing. He slipped his helmet on and revving the throttle he pulled out of the stall and made his way to the garage's exit. He passed Robin's massive R-Cycle on the way out and frowned, realizing bitterly that the small and underpowered scooter was a perfect match for his new persona. He pushed the negative thought aside as he entered the tunnel that connected the island with the mainland, opening the throttle all the way.

The scooter lurched forward with a zest he didn't recall and he made himself a mental note to ask Cyborg what he had done to enhance the otherwise ordinary looking scooter. As he approached the tunnel's exit he glanced at the speedometer and saw that he was already doing 120 mph. He slowed down before exiting the tunnel and merging with traffic on Bay Avenue.

What he had told Raven was true, he really didn't know where he was going and he just cruised around the bay without giving it much thought. He found himself enjoying his solitude as he cruised around the bay, eventually reaching its end where the docks were. Without thinking he turned around and made his way back. As he guided his scooter back to the Tower he decided that he wasn't ready to go back, and he was going to meet Raven for dinner at the Green Sprout, so there was no point in going home now anyway. He saw the off ramp for Park Boulevard and went off in that direction. Ten minutes later he had reached Jump City's massive Central Park and guided his scooter into its interior. By this point he was driving slowly and decided that maybe a nice walk in the park would help him get his thoughts in order. He checked his watch and saw that it was almost 5 PM, and he still had an hour to kill before meeting his wife. Seeing an empty parking space he guided the Tidwell into it, shutting it off and removing the key. He secured his helmet back onto the fairing, and began his walk.

It was Autumn and the leaves on the trees were ablaze with color, as their imminent demise was near. The air was crisp and Garfield savored it as he took deep breaths. The walkway was fairly empty as most park goers were packing it in and getting ready to leave. He set the alarm on his watch to beep at 5:40 so he wouldn't be late for his date with Raven. Content that he had everything in order he began his hike around the park commons.

He had been walking for a mere 5 minutes when he became lost again in thought, pondering all that had transpired. He felt pangs of regret over how he had treated Raven, pushing her away when all she was doing was trying to be there for him. He would make it up to her, he resolved to himself.

But how could he make it up to her? As a lover? That was a joke, he thought. Raven was half demon and thus physically much stronger than a normal human female. How could he, a weakling, ever satisfy her needs and desires?

Garfield was beginning to feel depressed again. It all seemed so hopeless. He was unworthy of her and he knew that eventually the blindfold would come off her eyes and she would see him as he really was: a puny, mediocre, untalented weakling. Once she realized and accepted the truth there could only be one outcome …

Garfield had been staring at the sidewalk as he strolled aimlessly and wasn't really watching where he was going when with a grunt he collided with something. He lost his balance and fell backwards, landing on his posterior. Another thud told him that whoever he had run into had also fallen down.

"I'm so sorry." He mumbled without looking up. "Are you OK?"

"Why don't you watch where you're going?" A familiar voice scolded him. He looked up and gasped.

"Terra?"

The thin but muscular blond woman looked at him with a wary eye.

"Do I know you?"

Garfield sighed.

"No, I guess you don't. I'm sorry." He replied as he helped her back to her feet. She continued to stare at him.

"No way, it can't be." She said out loud in a shocked voice. "Is that you BB?" She asked as she noticed his green hair and his protruding fang. "What happened to you?"

He sighed a second time.

"It's a long story Terra."

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere."

It was then that his watch beeped, reminding him that it was time to leave.

"I have to go Terra."

"You can't just take off without telling me what happened."

"I wish I could stay and talk, but someone's waiting for me."

"They can't wait?"

He shook his head.

"My wife is waiting for me."

The retired Geomancer grinned.

"You're married? Way to go BB! Is it anyone I know?"

"Actually, it's Raven."

Terra went bug eyed.

"You're pulling my leg right? You married Raven?"

"No, I'm not kidding and I really have to go now or I'll be late."

Terra gave him a bewildered look.

"BB, you have to tell me what happened to you."

Thinking quickly he responded.

"Can you meet me here tomorrow?"

She quickly replied to his offer.

"Three o'clock work for you? There's an espresso joint down the road, on 3rd Street. Let's meet there."

He nodded.

"I'll meet you there tomorrow. I promise. And I'll tell you everything that happened." He shouted as he ran back to where he had left his scooter, which was parked a few blocks away.

Terra beamed as she waved at him.

_Raven? He married Raven? What was he thinking?_


	32. Chapter 32

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

Garfield zig zagged through traffic as he made his way down Park Boulevard. He had forgotten to take the rush hour traffic jams into account and 10 minutes had passed and he was barely approaching Bay Avenue. The Green Sprout was on Bay Avenue, a mile past the Tower's access tunnel. As he neared the ramp that led to the avenue he saw that is was flowing and let out a sigh of relief.

He opened the throttle on the Tidwell and heard the scooter's turbo charger whine as it provided the power enhancing boost that gave the humble looking scooter the kind of kick usually associated with a Japanese crotch rocket. He grinned as he saw the astonished stares from the other motorists. And he hadn't even used the rocket boosters yet. He quickly made up for the lost time and soon was able to see the beachfront restaurant in the distance. His stomach growled in happy anticipation of the excellent meal he would soon be sharing with his wife.

As he pulled into the parking lot he saw Raven standing by the restaurant's front door. As she waved at him she wore a very visible smile. He noticed that she was wearing a pair of tight fitting black jeans and a blue T-shirt. He couldn't remember the last time she had worn civvies in public.

He guided his scooter into an available stall in the parking lot and hopped off the two wheeler in a single step. He waved back at her as he made his way out of the lot to the restaurant's entrance. As he approached her he debated whether or not to tell her about bumping into Terra and decided he would, but later.

"Hey" She greeted him.

"Hey yourself. You been here long?"

"No, I got here just a few minutes before you did. There's a 10 minute wait, so we have some time to kill. So how was your outing?"

He shrugged.

"It was OK."

"Where did you go? Did you stop anywhere?"

Before he could reply as shapely young red head, clad only in a thong bikini reached the top of the stairs that connected the sidewalk they were standing on with the beach below. Garfield couldn't help but notice the nearly naked girl, who winked at him before heading to the parking lot.

"Raven to Gar. Come in Gar." Raven chided him in her monotone.

He rubbed the back of his neck before replying.

"Sorry Rae, she uh, caught me by surprise."

"I'll bet she did, so where did you go?"

"Oh yeah, I went to central park and walked around for awhile."

Raven gave him an interrogating look.

"I thought you didn't like going there since Soto kidnapped you there."

Before he could reply Garfield felt a heavy hand on his shoulder that whirled him around. He found himself staring up at a bodybuilder who was at least as big as Cyborg.

"What's the big idea punk? You think you can flirt with my girlfriend and live to talk about it?"

Garfield frowned at the Schwarzenegger wannabe in front of him.

"Dude, first of all I wasn't flirting with her, she was flirting with me!"

Raven grabbed Gar by the arm.

"I think our table's ready Gar."

The hulking bully laughed.

"Oh no little lady, he's not getting away that easy."

"Wanna bet?" Raven growled.

The bully continued to laugh.

"I like you, you got spunk. If I wasn't already here with Heather I'd show you what a good time with a real man is like."

"In your dreams, muscle brains. Do you have any idea who I am?"

"Nope." He replied. "But once I take care of your little pipsqueak boyfriend, I'm sure well become good friends."

At that point Garfield exploded and executing a front snap kick that would have made Robin proud of him he kicked the thug in the groin. The body builder bent over in pain, tears flowing from his eyes. In a second swift motion Garfield finished him off with a spinning heel kick to the head. The bully collapsed to the ground unconscious.

"Not bad Gar!" Raven congratulated him. "But you shouldn't have beaten him up."

It was then that shouts could be heard from the parking lot. Raven saw "Heather" pointing in their direction while 3 more "Ahnolds" were headed their way.

"Oh crud." Garfield muttered.

"Don't worry Gar. I'll take care of them."

"No!" He shouted as he adopted a fighting stance. "I can take them."

The 3 body builders were quickly approaching.

"We're gonna fix your wagon, Karate Kid!" One of the men shouted. "You'd better say your prayers."

"You want a piece of me?" He shouted back at them.

Raven was quickly becoming alarmed as the men were getting close to Garfield. Suddenly with no warning she raised her hand. The three men were wrapped in her obsidian light. She gestured with her arm and they were carried down to the beach where they were unceremoniously dumped into the surf.

Garfield turned angrily at his wife.

"I said I had them!"

"I know you did." She responded unconvincingly. "But I could do it without hurting them."

Gar dropped his fighting stance.

"I guess you're right." He muttered. "You're always right."

Raven could sense a cocktail of negative emotions seeping from her husband. First of all he was embarrassed, no doubt because Raven had to rescue him from his impending doom. He was also angry, probably with her. And there was a general sense of self loathing that permeated him. Meanwhile Heather had reached her fallen boyfriend, who was starting to regain consciousness.

"How dare you!" The red head screeched at Garfield. "I know who you are! You two are Titans. You used your powers to beat up my Jim."

"We did no such thing." Raven calmly refuted her accusation. "It's your fault this happened. You flirted with my husband to make your boyfriend jealous. But he beat your 'Jim' fair and square, without using any powers."

Raven turned to her husband.

"Come on Gar, I'm hungry. Let's go eat." She said as she hooked her arm into his. He nodded meekly and they entered the restaurant together, leaving the two troublemakers behind.

The hostess greeted them with a nervous smile. She had witnessed the fracas that had ensued just moments before and decided to lead them to a table that was as far as possible from the entrance.

"Would you folks like to sit on the deck? The view of the sunset is great."

The Logans accepted her offer and were soon seated with menus in their hands. The hostess was gone in an instant. Raven opened her menu and began to study it.

"What do you recommend Gar?"

"Nothing." He pouted.

"Nothing?"

"C'mon Rae, you don't like vegetarian food. You never have. You don't eat 'fake meat', remember?"

"Well maybe I'm willing to give it try." She said in her monotone.

"Well, OK then." He sulked. "Try the Thai burrito, it all veggie but no tofu."

Raven located the item on the menu and studied its description.

"That sounds good. What are you having?"

"The Thai Burrito." He replied.

Soon the waitress showed up and took their order. Two Thai Burritos and two iced teas. She informed them that it would be ready in 10 minutes.

Raven could still sense Garfield's overall displeasure. She took his hand in hers.

"Gar I know you could have held your own against those guys. I just … wanted to keep it simple."

"Robin would have taken those guys down without even breaking a sweat." He finally moaned. "You were worried I was going to get hurt, right?"

Raven sighed.

"I won't lie to you, I was. They were huge. And don't compare yourself to Robin Gar, he's a super athlete and had been training for 10 years, first with Batman and then with the True Master. He's one of the top martial artists in the whole world."

"Don't remind me." He grumbled.

"Gar, if you want to train like Robin you have my full support. But be realistic, it's going to take some time before you're that skilled and proficient."

He frowned.

"Why did this have to happen Rae, why?"

She took his hand and kissed his palm.

"I don't know Gar. Bad things happen to good people every day. I know that you've had more than your fair share of tragedy in your life, but we're still together, right?"

He nodded silently. It was then that she decided to make a bold move.

"Gar, what would you say if we both retired."

"You mean quit being heroes?"

"Yeah, just you and me. We could move out of the Tower into our own place."

He clearly looked surprised.

"And what would we do?"

She thought it over for a second before replying.

"We could enroll at the University."

"Are you serious Rae? College? This is me you're talking about here."

Raven rolled her eyes.

"Gar, we're adults and we're married. You don't have to put on that act for me."

Garfield grinned sheepishly as the waitress arrived with their dinner. Raven sniffed it carefully.

"It smells good." She commented before taking a bite.

"And tastes good too."

* * *

Raven woke up late the next morning, with a big smile on her face. For the first time since Gar had gotten sick they had spent a proper night together as husband and wife. He had been timid at first, she felt his unease. It was also the first time she had seen him naked since his skin color had changed and she had to admit to herself that she was a bit shocked at the sight. His hair was now showing its blond roots as well.

Oddly for Raven it was the first time that his changes had become real to her. Seeing his now fair skinned body as he rested au natural on the bed finally made it real to her: he had changed.

Fortunately once the lights were turned off and they basked in the amber glow of the candles she had lit it was like old times. They spent hours sharing their bodies with each other and when they were finally done in the wee hours of the morning Raven was happy, fulfilled and exhausted as she dozed off snuggled up to the love of her life. All was well with the universe at that moment.

As she slowly got up she saw that it was almost noon. Garfield was still asleep, with a peaceful expression on his face. She felt hesitant to wake him, but had promised to wake him as he was going to hit the gym while she ran some errands.

"Gar, it's time to get up."

"Do I have to?" He murmured, still half asleep.

"You said that you wanted to work out while I ran some errands remember?" She shouted to him as she entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot."

Garfield crawled out of the bed and staggered over to the chest of drawers, opened the top drawer and grabbed a fresh pair of boxers and a T-shirt. After slipping them on he headed out the door, heading straight for the gym.

Several minutes later after showering Raven emerged from the bathroom.

"Gar?" She called out for him and quickly ascertained that he had already left. She saw that the bed was still unmade.

_That bum! He never makes the bed. I guess he really is still my Gar._

* * *

Garfield spent the next two hours exercising and practicing the martial arts drills that Robin had taught him. He was in the middle of a Black Belt kata he had mastered, at Robin's insistence, just a month before when Raven walked into the gym. He completed the kata and paused, giving her his full attention. He was drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

"So you're off?"

"Yes, I should be back by five. I'm going to pick up some groceries for us. You're out of tofu by the way. Cyborg is going to teach me to cook something for you tonight."

Garfield did a double take.

"You're going to cook?" He asked in mock surprise.

"I said Cyborg was going to teach me how. You're never going to let me live down those pancakes, are you?"

Garfield chuckled as he picked up an eight pound weight and started doing reps with his left arm.

"It's the reason I married you Rae."

"What? That makes no sense Gar!" She groaned.

He grinned at her.

"It means you aren't perfect Rae."

"Ha ha. Very funny Gar. I'll see you tonight. And I promise you one thing! Dinner will be perfect, I guarantee it."

"I'm looking forward to it Rae."

Raven smirked at him before she left. Garfield continued to work out for another hour, until it was 2 PM. He tidied up the gym before heading back to his room. He showered quickly, dressed himself and headed to the common room. Cyborg was there, cleaning up the kitchen. The two friends exchanged pleasantries and Garfield had a quick snack before heading back to the garage. His scooter was parked in its usual spot and within a few minutes he was on his way to the coffee shop.

Much like the day before the autumn air was crisp and as Garfield guided the Tidwell down a now not so congested Bay Drive he felt a little excited about going to meet Terra. Soon he was taking the off ramp to Park Boulevard and continued to make his way to the café. Eventually he was able to see it in the distance just a few blocks away and felt a tingle of excitement go down his spine. As he reached his destination he found an empty spot in front of the coffee shop. He pulled into the stall and as he removed his helmet he saw Terra inside the café, and she waved at him. He dismounted from his scooter and made his way inside.

"BB!" Terra greeted him with a warm hug, which he returned. They lined up at the counter and ordered a mocha latte and a cappuccino. Once they had their drinks they sat down.

"So what happened to you BB? Why do you look different now?"

"Well, for starters, you should stop calling me BB, cuz I've lost my powers."

Terra gasped.

"No way! How did that happen?"

Garfield spent the next 2 hours explaining everything that had happened, starting with Robin's departure to Gotham, his and Raven's impromptu marriage, their trip to Gotham and their encounters with the Joker, the escape from Luthor's complex, his bout with blindness, their trip to Tamaran and become Tamaranian nobility (at which point Terra teased him, saying had she known she would have curtseyed to the Duke of Detmook) and culminating with his near fatal bout with the Sakutia virus and the cure the Star Labs provided with its unfortunate side effect.

After he was done Terra sat silently as she absorbed it all in. Finally she spoke up.

"So, how are you holding up BB?"

"Gar." He corrected her. "Just call me Gar. I won't lie to you Terra, it's been really tough. It's even affecting my relationship with Raven."

"I know exactly how you feel Gar." She said in a whispered tone.

"You do? Really?"

She nodded.

"Remember when you found me at the High School? Well, I do owe you an apology for the way I treated you back then. You see, after I awoke from being stone I started to lose my powers. By the time you found me they were almost completely gone. That's why I wanted you to go away. I was embarrassed, ashamed actually. I didn't want you to find out I was losing my powers."

He stared at her in astonishment.

"Terra, why would you think that?"

"We were Titans Gar; we fought bad guys side by side. I was turning into a plain, ordinary girl. I didn't want you to know."

"But why?"

She sighed. "I don't know. I guess that I just didn't think I was worthy of being with you anymore. When you found me I was overjoyed but at the same time ashamed. I pretended to not know you and made you think I was rejecting you. But I was dying to throw my arms around you and beg you to take me back. But I couldn't. You were a great hero and I was just an ordinary high school student. How could I ever be with you? So I pretended to be more interested in my new life than in you. I guess I've always been a good liar Gar, because I fooled you."

Gar sighed.

"You did Terra, you really did. You broke my heart that day at the school when you told me that things change."

Terra wiped a tear off her face.

"I'm sorry I hurt you Gar. I guess we weren't meant for each other."

He nodded. "Just best friends, right."

"Always. Anyway, listen to me, cuz this is important. You can't let this change come between you and Raven."

His face betrayed the surprise he felt.

"Are you saying I should stay with Rae?"

Terra rolled her eyes.

"Duh! Look Gar, don't make the same mistake I made. I thought I was unworthy of you after I lost my powers. Now I know I was wrong. Don't make the same mistake I made. I know how you're feeling now. Raven, who was a pretty scary Titan to begin with, has all her awesome powers and suddenly you lost yours. You're feeling small and insignificant next to her. It's probably even worse cuz you're a guy and you can't protect her anymore, not that she ever needed to be protected."

Gar snickered. "Tell me about it. She saved me the other day from 3 guys who wanted to beat me up. I felt so small and embarrassed. I know she meant well, but sometimes I think she doesn't get it."

"Would you have 'got it' had I told you that I lost my powers back then?"

He shook his head. "No, I wouldn't." He admitted.

"You need to give her time Gar. Be patient, it's gonna work out. Trust me."

As Terra concluded her speech Gar's communicator chirped.

"Oh man, I lost track of time. That's gotta be Rae. She was gonna cook dinner for me."

"Let me say hi to her." Terra chimed in.

Beast Boy clutched the communicator tightly in his hand.

"That might not be a good idea Terra. I'll tell her later. But I need to answer this now."

He turned around and flipped the communicator open. Raven's worried face appeared on the screen.

"Gar! Where have you been? Aren't you coming home for dinner?"

"Sorry Rae, I lost track of time. I'm on my way."

"OK, just don't forget that I love you."

"I love you too Rae. Bye!"

He flipped his communicator shut as Terra beamed.

"I never thought I'd ever hear Raven say that she loved someone. I'm proud of you Gar."

"Very funny Terra. I'll call you tomorrow, I want to meet again to talk about losing our powers."

"So you are going to tell Raven that you found me?"

"Of course, I know that keeping secrets is a bad idea in a marriage. Once I tell her I'll invite you to visit the Tower."

Terra beamed.

"I'm looking forward to it!"

* * *

OK dear readers, where have you been? Only 72 of you read the previous chapter.

Now I'll forgive you for that transgression, just don't let it happen again! If you do, I might just let Terra steal Gar from Raven.

So you have been warned! Read and review, or suffer the consequences! :-)


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

Robin was watching the sunset from the Imperial bedroom's massive balcony. Tamaran's red sun, which hung in the sky like a ripe tomato, slowly made its way below the Tamaranian horizon and he began to feel a chill in the air, which matched the chill he was feeling in his heart about living on Tamaran. His subjects, actually Starfire's subjects, were aloof and distant; the way Starfire was when she first arrived on Earth. What worried him most of all was how quickly she was adapting to her native ways. She remained sweet and gentle around him but when she interacted with her fellow Tamaranians she was stiff and unapproachable.

Robin understood very well what his legal role was with respect to his wife, the Empress. His wedding vows had included vows of allegiance and obedience to her and as he saw her transform around her people he was beginning to fear that it would affect their relationship. It was bad enough that in public he had to walk behind her and be completely submissive to her. He wasn't even allowed to look her in the eyes when speaking with her in public. He was expected to bow his head and stare at the ground when she spoke with him in public, and his replies were pretty much restricted to "Yes my Empress".

The Royal Physicians had asked for audience with her and her alone, which is why he had been left behind in the Royal bedchambers. At this moment he was experiencing that rare, at least for him, emotion known as fear. What if Galfore had taken a turn for the worse? Robin shuddered at the thought and its implication: spending the rest of his life on Tamaran. He was worried that he wouldn't be able to do it. But how could he leave her? Not only was she the love of his life, but she was carrying his child in her womb. Of course he understood that under Tamaranian law that as a consort he was not the child's legal parent. Only the Empress would have the title.

He walked to the edge of the balcony and slammed his fist down on the half height wall that served as the balcony's railing.

"What troubles you, my consort?"

Robin spun around. She had returned from her conference and was calling him from inside the bedchamber. He entered the room and removing his face crown he tossed it on the bed.

"I hate being the Prince Consort."

"Why?" She asked in a puzzled voice. "It is considered a great honor to be my consort. Why are you unhappy Richard?"

He glared at her as he replied.

"Because I'm not me anymore. I'm no longer Robin, no longer Richard Grayson. I don't feel like I'm your husband Star, I feel like … a concubine."

She turned away from him and stared at the floor.

"I thought you said you would be happy with me anywhere, even in hell." She replied in a sad voice.

"That's the thing Star; I'm not 'with you'. I have to walk behind you like I'm a servant. We're not equals Star."

"We are in here my love."

"Are you sure Star? Are you certain of that? How long will it be until you treat me the same way in here as you do out there?"

The Empress frowned.

"That will never happen. I have given you my word Richard. Why do you insist on doubting me?"

"I don't know." He paused. "I'm sorry Star; maybe wearing the crown is getting to me."

The Empress retrieved his face crown from the bed and restored it to its position on his head.

"Only you are worthy of wearing this crown my beloved. But I will do something for you. Tomorrow I will issue a decree proclaiming you as my equal and have you crowned as Emperor."

"No!" He interjected. "Your people won't accept that! If you do that they'll depose you and install Blackfire as Empress."

She nodded sadly as a tear dripped down her face.

"I'm so sorry Richard, for I have made you unhappy. But there is other news, good news."

"Really? I could use some good news right now."

She smiled. "The Royal Physicians have told me that Galfore's illness is now in what your doctors call 'remission' and Galfore has agreed to resume his role as my Regent. We may return to Earth, in fact I have ordered the Royal Admiral to prepare my yacht for a voyage to Earth.

Robin brightened.

"That is good news Star. But it's only a reprieve. Eventually you will have to return to Tamaran. Galfore won't live forever."

Again she nodded. "Perhaps by then we will find a solution. Now we must prepare for our journey home, as I too am anxious to depart. I miss our friends dearly and want to see them again."

For the first time that day Robin smiled.

* * *

"Those were good pancakes Cy. Are you sure you made them without milk?"

The tin man glared at the former super hero.

"I already said that I made them without milk. And are you still going to insist on being a vegetarian?"

"We've been over this before Cy. I'm a not a changeling anymore, but I have at one time or another been every single one of those animals you love to eat. Just because I can't morph anymore doesn't change anything."

"He has a point Cyborg." Raven added between sips of her tea, without looking up from the book she was reading at the breakfast table.

Cyborg gave Raven a dirty look.

"You used to be cool Raven, but now you always take his side. Always."

"I only do it because he's right."

_And because he made love to you last night. And don't think I couldn't hear you guys._

"I got a message from Tamaran this morning. Rob and Starfire are already on their way home. They should be arriving later tonight." He said instead, changing the subject.

"That's wonderful news Cyborg." Raven said as she finished her tea. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to catch up on my meditations. I'm sorry Gar, but you're on your own for a few hours."

"No problem Rae. I'll just hang with Cy and catch up with the latest on the GameStation."

"No can do, vanilla bean. I have work to do in the garage."

"Vanilla bean?" Raven asked.

"Well, he certainly isn't the green bean anymore."

"Whatever." Raven said as she rolled her eyes and phased into the floor.

"Come on man, I'll show how to change the brakes on a car."

Garfield agreed reluctantly and followed the bionic Titan to the garage. Once they got there he put the T-Car on a hydraulic lift and raised it. As Cyborg began to remove the wheels Gar's cell phone rang and he answered it.

"Oh it's you! No, actually I'm free right now. Sure, I can meet you in 15 minutes, no problem. OK, bye."

Cyborg gave him a dirty look.

"So you're ditching me. Who was that anyway?"

Gar tapped his fingers together before answering.

"Uh, it was Terra."

"Terra's dead man. Who are you really going to see?"

Gar clenched his fists.

"You guys still don't believe me. I'm telling you that girl at the high school was Terra."

"You mean the girl who told you to leave her alone? That wasn't Terra man. Let it go."

"She confessed Cy. She is Terra."

Cyborg scowled at him.

"OK, just for argument's sake, I'll assume that she really is Terra. That means that you're seeing her behind Raven's back? ARE YOU NUTS?"

Gar crossed he arms and scowled at his friend.

"I'm not cheating on Raven, if that's what you're implying tin man."

"Then why are you hanging out with an old flame? Huh?"

The expression on Gar's face got even angrier.

"Terra's lost her powers too. We just hang out and talk about it. We're like a support group, you know?"

"A support group of two?"

"Hey, if there are any other ex-superheroes they're more than welcome to join our group."

"I don't know man, it seems like a bad idea to me. Have you told Raven yet?"

"I will, tonight in fact. She'll be done meditating and it will be the perfect time to tell her." Gar replied as he fired up his scooter. "I'll be back before Raven's done."

"You know you're playing with fire. And if you don't tell her tonight, I will."

"Stop worrying you nervous robot, I'm not doing anything that's wrong. I gotta go now or I'll be late."

Gar revved the scooter's throttle and darted out of the garage.

"I hope you know what you're doing man." Cyborg murmured.

TtTtTt TtTtTt TtTtTt TtTtTt

Raven had decided to tidy up their room before beginning to meditate. She had finished and was getting ready to close the curtains when she saw the Tidwell 3000 with Gar driving it emerge from the tunnel.

_Where's he going? He didn't say anything about going out._

Raven's curiosity got the best of her. Then, in a fateful act she did something that Gar implied the other day that she never did: She made a mistake.

She phased through the window and flying as fast as she could she caught up with him and began to follow him.

* * *

Raven kept her distance, as she didn't want to be seen. As the modern buildings that circled the bay whizzed past her she puzzled over where he was going. She would be patient, if anything Raven could be patient.

She saw him take the off ramp for Park Boulevard. _He's going to Central Park again?_ She wondered. He accelerated as he disappeared around the ramp. Raven picked up the pace as she was afraid of losing him if he got too far ahead. As she flew around the corner she saw that he was several blocks ahead now and she decided to close the distance between them a bit as she was afraid she would lose track of him if he darted off into a side street, which is exactly what happened. The sorceress turned on the afterburners and quickly reached the intersection where he had turned left, which was on Third Street. By this point she was oblivious to all the gawkers and fans who were pointing and waving at her. As she rounded the corner she came to an immediate halt as he had stopped just two blocks ahead in front of an espresso joint called 'The Black Cup'. She immediately darted to the nearest rooftop to avoid being detected and continued slowly until she was across the street from the coffee shop. She watched as he dismounted from his scooter, stowed his helmet and made his way into the coffee shop.

As she observed from across the street she saw that he was greeted at the door by a blond female who gave him a warm hug. Raven's heart rate picked up as she watched him return the hug. It was clear that they knew each other. It was then that she noticed that she was breathing rapidly and she heard a nearby street lamp explode. She saw Gar and the mystery woman both turn in the direction of the explosion. Raven quickly ducked and waited a minute before looking again from her perch, which was 6 stories above the street. This time she saw them inside the café, standing at the counter, probably ordering coffee.

Raven couldn't discern who the woman was from her distant hideout and she reached for the collapsible binoculars that Cyborg had made for her. They fit in one of the compartments of her jeweled belt and as she removed them her anger was starting to get the best of her.

_Who the hell is that woman?_

Raven pushed a button and the binoculars popped out into a fully deployed form. She saw that the couple now had their drinks and had taken a seat by the window, with the woman facing her.

_Perfect, now I'll see who she is._

Raven raised the binoculars to her eyes and looked. The first thing she saw was another couple that was seated next to her target. They were out of focus and Raven tweaked a knob to sharpen the image. Once she was satisfied with the image quality she panned to the right.

And her heart froze.

_No. It can't be! It's impossible!_

She watched as the blond took his hand in her own.

_You're dead! You turned to stone!_

She saw them share a laugh.

_Damn you Terra! Why did you have to come back!_

* * *

"So what happened to you Terra? How did you lose your powers?"

The blond girl sighed.

"I'm not sure. I think that the Earth took them away from me when I turned to stone. When I came back they were pretty much gone. I didn't get a choice like you did."

"What would you have chosen Terra? Life without your powers or death?"

"That's hard to say. I mean who wants to die? But I didn't have anyone at the time, not like you did."

Gar became very somber.

"I came this close to choosing death Terra." He said as he held his thumb and index finger together.

"You're kidding, but why?"

"Being able to morph, to become any animal, it's who I was. You see Terra; I didn't just morph into those animals. I WAS those animals. And now I no longer am. When I lost my powers, part of me died."

"What did Raven say when you told her?"

"I haven't."

"You should. She is your wife."

"I don't know how to tell her."

"You just told me."

"It's different."

"How so?"

"I … I don't want to look weak in front of her."

"Gar, we're all weak compared to her. OK, maybe not Superman, but you know what I mean."

He shook his head.

"I've saved her before Terra. Adonis once kidnapped her and I saved her by transforming into a creature called 'The Beast'. She thanked me for saving her and she told me that …"

He paused.

"She told you what Gar?"

"She told me for the first time that I was a man and not a boy."

"So you think now that your powers are gone that she no longer sees you as a man?"

He nodded.

"Oh Gar, you don't really believe that, do you?"

"I don't know." He hesitated.

Terra rubbed her chin.

"May I ask you a personal question?"

He nodded. "Sure."

"OK here goes. Have you made love with her since you lost your powers?"

He blushed before answering.

"Uh, yeah."

"Well, there you have it; she wouldn't have if she thought you had stopped being a man."

"I see your point. So what did you do when you lost your powers?"

"At first I just wandered, I crashed a lot at homeless shelters and the YWCA. That was where a social worker found me. When she learned that I was still a minor she placed me in foster home and I went back to school. By that point my powers were so weak I could barely levitate a pebble."

"And how did that make you feel?"

"I was confused. I was so used to having my powers yet none on the people around me knew of my secret. My foster parents were OK; I never got too attached to them. But I did make some friends at school and I got decent, if not great grades. When I finished high school I thought about going to college but my grades weren't good enough to qualify for a scholarship and I had no money. A recruiter tried to talk me into joining the Army, but that wasn't for me, and they probably would have found out who I was anyway, so I steered clear of them."

"So what's your legal name Terra?"

"It's not Terra Markov, that's for sure. I told the social worker that I was a runaway orphan named Tara Strong. She bought it. But the Army would have figured who I really was. I was a blood test away from being busted."

"So what did you do then?"

"I got a job as a nighttime security guard at Wayne Enterprises. The pay is pretty good. I have my own apartment and even a small car of my own. The only thing missing in my life is a cute boyfriend."

"Terra, I'm married." He replied in a slightly menacing voice.

"Chill out Gar, I wasn't hitting on you or anything." She giggled. "Actually there is a cute guy at work who's been flirting with me. If he doesn't ask me soon I'll go ahead and ask him out on a date."

"Just don't take him to the amusement park." He chuckled.

Terra laughed back at him. "No way. I'll never set foot in one again."

Gar looked at this watch.

"This was great Terra, but I gotta go. I'll tell Raven when I get back. Are you working tonight?"

"No, I'm off."

"Good, keep your calendar open, cuz you're invited to have dinner at the Tower. Rob and Star are coming home tonight also. It'll be fun."

"Just like old times." She beamed.

Gar kissed her on the cheek before leaving. He waved goodbye as his scooter pulled away.

* * *

After seeing them say good bye Raven was in full panic mode. She fled back to the Tower, flying as fast as she could. She arrived in the Commons Room, which was empty as Cyborg was still in the garage. She paced frantically around the room, feeling the icy fingers of fear grip her spine.

_I can't lose him, not to her. But I don't understand, he was so loving last night and so sweet this morning. It can't be what it looks like, it just can't be. There has to be an explanation…_

Raven kept pacing around the room as her demeanor shifted quickly from fear to doubt to self loathing to anger and back to fear. She lost track of time and was startled as the sliding doors whisked open. She was shocked out of her trance and she saw Gar enter the room.

"Rae, are you OK? You look like a wreck. I thought you were going to meditate."

"I … I didn't. So how was your outing?"

"It was great! And I have some news to share. You'll never guess who I had some coffee with."

Raven felt the icy fingers tighten their grip. She then proceeded to make the biggest mistake of her entire life.

"I know who you were with, it was Terra."

Gar stepped back in shock.

"How … did you know?"

"I followed you."

The expression on Gar's face became angry.

"You did what? You mean you were spying on me?"

"I was just curious. I saw you leave and you hadn't told me you were going anywhere. I've been worried about you and wanted to be sure you were OK."

Gar crossed his arms. He wasn't buying her explanation.

"So you spied on me when I met with Terra. You don't trust me."

Raven started to feel the anger rise within her.

"Should I? You ran off to see an old girlfriend behind my back."

"Terra was never my girlfriend Rae."

"Bullshit! Had she not betrayed us to Slade you would have eventually married her."

"Oh come on Rae, I went out with her on one lousy date that ended in disaster."

"Don't lie to me Gar; you were in love with her. You cried for days when she was turned into stone."

"OK, so I had a crush on her. But that was years ago. Why do you think I'm cheating on you?"

Raven crossed her arms and glared at him before answering.

"So why the hell are you seeing her?"

Gar grew indignant at her accusation.

"Terra's also lost her powers Rae. We talk about that. She's been telling me what she went through and she listens to me when I tell her how I'm feeling."

"But why her Gar, why aren't you telling me how you feel?"

"She understands me Rae." Gar replied, sticking his foot into his mouth.

Raven gasped.

"And I don't?"

"No Rae, not about this. You couldn't possibly understand what I'm going through now."

Raven's jaw began to tremble.

"Then get the hell out Gar. Go pour your heart out to Terra, since you trust her with your feelings. I know I'm just a cold demoness who could never understand you, right?"

"I never said that!"

"I was wrong, you have changed."

"I see, so now your true feelings are out. I knew I wasn't good enough for you anymore."

Without saying another word Garfield left the room. Raven walked over to the large windows and watched as his scooter sped away from the Tower.

_What have I done?_

Raven fell to her knees and wept.

* * *

I guess you guys are still on vacation or something. I was averaging 400-500 hits per chapter but the last two only had about 70-80 each. I have decided to chalk these low numbers up to a bug in the website software's hit counting mechanism.

And thank you for your reviews. One of you mentioned that "It saddens me that authors seem to view marriage as a plaything or cheating as a way to add "spice" to their stories." No one has cheated on anyone here, so relax. Gar and Terra are just friends who share a common bond: they both lost their powers. Raven and Gar have had their first big fight. It happens.


	34. Chapter 34

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the Teen Titans or any characters in the DC Universe.

* * *

Cyborg saw Gar run into the garage and head straight for his scooter. He could tell that his friend was upset and he stopped working on the T-Car.

"Yo Gar, what's the matter man?"

Garfield ignored Cyborg's call and hopped onto his scooter, and after he started it he peeled out of the garage at full throttle. The tin man stared at the burnt rubber on the floor and scrunched his nose at the smell.

_What was that all about?_

Then it clicked for him and he ran out of the garage, consulting his built in computer.

_She's in the Common Room._

Cyborg bypassed the elevator and ran up the 6 flights of stairs to his destination. The sliding doors opened and he saw Raven kneeling on the floor crying.

_Oh crap, he told her._

"Raven! What happened?"

The gray sorceress pulled herself together and stood up. Clearly embarrassed at being caught in a moment of weakness by a teammate he she quickly reverted to her usual expressionless, poker face.

"We had a fight." She informed him in her monotone.

He sized up the situation and decided that he was already involved with what has happening. He then asked her 'the question'.

"So he told you about Terra?"

"You knew?"She asked in a threatening tone.

"Hey, he just told me."

Raven then buried her face in her hands, summoning all her willpower to not cry again.

"Raven, are you OK? He told me that nothing was going on, that they were just trading stories about losing their powers."

"That's not it Victor." She said. "I made a terrible mistake."

"Uh oh."

Raven slowly walked over to the semicircular couch and sat down. Cyborg joined her and the two sat together in silence until he broke it.

"What happened Raven?"

"I blew it. I spied on him and accused him of cheating on me."

"Whoa! When did you spy on him?"

"Just earlier today. I saw him leave when he was supposed to be with you, so I followed him."

"Raven!" He replied in an astonished voice. "Why did you do that?"

Again she buried her face in her hands, but this time the tears flowed.

"I … I … I don't know. I guess I was worried about him. I'm not really sure."

"So what happened? You said there was a fight?"

She nodded.

"I told him to leave, to go back to Terra. I don't know what to do Victor. Should I go after him?"

Cyborg looked troubled.

"I'm not sure Raven, that might make things worse. Maybe we should wait for him to cool off. He'll come back, probably in just a couple of hours."

"What if he doesn't?" She asked despondently.

Before he could attempt to answer her the main console in the room beeped. He checked the built in console in his forearm to see what was the event calling for their attention.

"Rob and Star's ship just entered orbit. They'll be landing within an hour. Maybe Rob will know what to do."

"I doubt it." She replied.

* * *

Garfield was flying down Bay Avenue, doing at least 30 over the speed limit. He was heading west, in the opposite direction of the park. Terra's apartment was on this side of town and that's where he was headed. It was then that he realized that he needed to stop and cool off first before storming into the blonde's abode.

He saw an off ramp ahead and exited the freeway like avenue. The exit led into the parking lot at Sunset Beach. The ocean sparkled and he found it soothing. After parking his scooter he dismounted slowly and made his way to the beach at a slow pace. The waves crashed rhythmically into the sand at the nearly deserted beach, which was typical this late in the year. Only a few wet suit clad surfers were there as well as a few determined sunbathers, of which a few female sun worshippers were soaking in the autumn rays without the benefit of a top, even though it was still technically illegal top do so in Jump City. Garfield didn't take notice of his fellow beach goers as he was completely inwardly focused as he walked around the beach glumly, unaware of his surroundings while reliving what had just happened. He still couldn't believe that she had been spying on him.

_She doesn't trust me. Raven doesn't trust me._

He continued trudging down the beach, getting the extra fine sand inside his shoes. He didn't know what to do, he debated if he should go home and try to work things out with Raven. He had shut his cell phone off and wasn't carrying a communicator anymore.

"Hey there handsome, why the long face?" A female voice called out to him from just a few feet away, snapping him out of his funk. He turned to look at its source. It was a woman, in her mid to late thirties. She was resting on a beach towel donning a string bikini she had no business wearing, as she was a little too plump and too old for such a piece of swimwear, plus she wasn't wearing her top.

"Huh?"

The woman sat up. She looked mildly familiar to him.

"You look sad, why don't you let me cheer you up?"

Garfield was taken aback both by her brazenness and her partial public nudity. He shook his head in response, indicating that he was not interested.

"Come on sugar, I can be a lot of fun. But I don't have a lot of time. I have to be at the airport in 2 hours. So let's go back to your place, OK?"

Garfield let out a sigh of exasperation.

"Listen lady, I'm married, and my wife would be less than thrilled if I brought you home."

"So you're married, I won't hold that against you. Let me guess, you're having problems with the little lady, right?"

"It's none of your business!" He snapped at her as he walked away. The woman got up and began to follow him.

"We can find a place, a nice motel. What's the matter, don't you like girls?"

He stopped and turned around.

"Girls yes, cougars no. Now leave me alone …"

And then he finally recognized her.

"… Miss Ashmore."

Lisa Ashmore stopped dead in her tracks.

"Have we met before?"

"No, but my wife met you. She saved your sorry cellulite ridden butt from Harley Quinn."

It took a moment before his comment finally clicked with her.

"You're one of those Titans, right?"

"I used to be one." Garfield murmured as he walked back to the parking lot. Without looking back he mounted his scooter and drove away.

* * *

Raven was still sitting on the circular couch when she heard the telltale sound of a small starship landing on the Tower's roof. The rumbling of the engines and thrusters became louder and louder as the ship approached until they suddenly fell silent.

Cyborg had gone to the roof to meet the Graysons and the sliding doors opened about 5 minutes after the ship landed. Raven turned around and saw the two absent members of the team accompanied by Cyborg. She stood up to greet them.

"Welcome home." She greeted them in her monotone. To anyone outside of the Titans family her greeting would have been considered void of any emotion, but both Starfire and Robin could tell that something was wrong with the sorceress. Starfire approached her friend.

"Raven, is something wrong?"

The demoness turned away from the Empress.

"I suppose there's no point in hiding it, I might as well tell you."

"What is it Raven?" Robin asked, clearly concerned.

"Gar has left me."

"He has not!" Cyborg shouted.

The Grayson's focused their attention on the bionic Titan.

"They had a fight and Gar stepped out to cool off. He'll be back by dinner time, you'll see."

Starfire noticed that Raven didn't seem to share Cyborg's optimism. She approached Raven and wrapped an arm around her.

"Come with me my friend and tell me what happened."

Raven nodded and followed Starfire out of the Common Room. As the doors slid shut behind them Robin addressed Cyborg.

"It's worse than you make it sound, right?"

"It is." He admitted. "Terra's involved."

"Terra?"

* * *

Garfield left the beach without giving Lisa Ashmore a second look. The world around him was a blur until he found Terra's apartment building. It was a high rise with a view of the bay. Gar parked his scooter in a nearby alley, making sure to hide it well, and approached the building's entrance. He scanned the array of buttons on the intercom panel on the wall until he found the one labeled 'Strong'. He pressed the button and waited.

"Who is it?" A disembodied voice called from a tinny speaker in the panel.

"It's Gar."

Terra buzzed the door open.

"Come on up, it's apartment 703." She informed him.

Garfield rode the elevator to the seventh floor and found Terra waiting for him in the hallway, her door open behind her.

"What's the matter Gar, you look awful."

The young man sighed.

"I had a big fight with Rae."

"Did she get mad when you told her about me?"

He walked into her spacious apartment, taking in the view of the bay from her living room. The Tower was right in the middle of the view.

"It's worse than that. She was spying on me when we met this morning."

Terra grimaced. "I'm so sorry Gar."

"She accused me of cheating on her and told me to leave."

Terra hesitated before replying.

"I'm sure she didn't mean it Gar, she was just upset. You might not know this, but I'll bet she's struggling with your change as well."

"Gee, thanks Terra."

"I didn't mean it that way Gar. What I mean is that she has to be aware of how much you're suffering and it has to be killing her that there's nothing she can do to help you."

"I don't want to be 'helped' Terra."

"What do you want Gar?"

He dropped his head and cradled it in his hands.

"I'm not sure. I just want everything to be the way it was before."

"That's not possible Gar. Things happen and we just have to accept them. Just like we can't change what happened at the amusement park all those years ago."

Garfield had a flashback. He was riding with Terra in the Ferris Wheel.

"I know, Slade had to show up and ruin everything. We didn't even get to kiss that night."

"We came so close that night." She said softly. "So close."

"I was so disappointed." He said as he locked eyes with her.

"Do you believe in second chances Terra?"

The blond blushed and looked away.

"I … I don't know Gar."

"Sometimes I wonder what might have happened had Slade not shown up that night Terra. Maybe you wouldn't have betrayed us and never turned to stone. But I'll never forgive him for stealing you from me. For taking that kiss away…"

"I know Gar, I know. I'm so sorry I let you down that day …"

The two former heroes looked each other in the eyes. Slowly they got closer to each other, until their lips were almost touching and closed their eyes. Their lips touched and …

They both pulled away with a jerk.

Both were panting as they reopened their eyes.

"That was a bad idea Gar."

"I agree." He concurred as he pulled away from her.

Terra paced around her apartment, clearly disturbed with how events were unfolding.

"Terra, can I sleep on your couch tonight?"

* * *

Starfire led Raven to her old bedroom, which still had the round bed in its middle (where the heck does she buy her sheets?). The two friends sat down together on the bed.

"Raven, why did he leave? What did you tell him?"

"I told him to leave." Her voice trembled. "Don't ask me why, I don't know."

Starfire drew her into a hug.

"Do not worry, he will return soon. You will see."

"What if he doesn't Starfire, what if he never comes back?"

"Raven, why would he not come back?"

"Because I'm a lousy wife, a monster who doesn't deserve him and who spies on him."

"Raven! You must stop thinking in that manner. Nothing good will come of it!"

Raven's waterworks were open again and she wiped her tears away.

"Look at me, I'm pathetic. I roar at him to leave and now I'm blubbering like a child."

Starfire patted her on the shoulder.

"You have had your first fight."

"And probably our last one too." She sniffed. "I always knew I would blow it with him someday, I just never imagined that I would drive him into Terra's arms."

Starfire looked shocked.

"But Terra is dead Raven."

Raven shook her head.

"No, she's not. Gar was right, she revived somehow."

"And he is cheating with her?" She asked in disbelief.

"No, he isn't. She also lost her powers and they just talk about it."

"I do not understand Raven, why did you get angry with him?"

"Because I am an idiot."

Starfire shook her head.

"Forgive me if I am incorrect Raven, but Cyborg says that you have an IQ of 178. It is not possible to be an idiot with such a quotient…"

"Because I'm a petty, jealous idiot." She corrected herself.

"Oh, I understand. You permitted your negative emotions to take over your rational thought patterns."

"You could put it that way." She sighed. :"So now what do I do?"

"It is very simple. When he returns you will welcome him with open arms and ask him to forgive you for not trusting him."

"You're asking me to eat humble pie. I'm not very good at that."

"Do you want your beloved to return to you?"

Raven sighed.

"Why is everything so complicated?"

* * *

"You need to go home Gar."

"I don't want to Terra. I can't"

"Why?"

"Because she's there."

"You mean you're afraid of her?"

"No! Of course not. It's just that everything is all messed up now."

"Well, then go home and "unmess" it up.

He gave her an annoyed look.

"That isn't a real word."

Terra began to laugh.

"If that isn't proof you guys belong together, I don't what is."

"Very funny Terra. So you think Raven's gone and made me all "sophisticated" and stuff?"

"When was the last time you said 'dude' to me?"

"I ... I can't remember."

"You haven't. I rest my case."

* * *

"But Terra's dead!" Robin shouted, it can't be her.

"Apparently that girl Gar saw those years ago was her." Cyborg informed him.

Robin sat down at the console and began to type furiously.

"There's no record of Terra anywhere, she must be using an alias. Didn't Gar once say she was a high school student at the time?"

Raven and Starfire returned to the common room as he asked the question.

"He did. He said she was attending Murakami High School."

"Thanks Raven, that'll help narrow the search."

Robin retrieved the online version of the local newspaper and found the editions from the past few years that had pictures of the year's High school graduates. He ran them through a filter that would eliminate all non blond girls and all students who did not graduate from Murakami. The final list included 137 girls. With a few more keystrokes he created a slide show and redirected it to the giant TV screen. The slide show progressed at a quick pace until they found her. Robin stopped the slide show at Terra's yearbook picture.

"Tara Strong." Raven read out loud the name below the picture. "That name sounds familiar."

Robin continued to type at the console.

"Bingo! She's still living in Jump City. She works as a security guard at Wayne Enterprises and lives at 4400 Bay Avenue, Apartment 703." Robin announced triumphantly. "I'll bet anything he's with her there right now."

"Let us make with the haste and retrieve our friend!" Starfire shouted.

Raven shook her head.

"No, we can't just all show up there and kick her door down." Raven said sadly.

"As you humans would say, 'Why the hell not?'"

"No one's broken any laws Star. We can't just show up and drag Gar away." Robin replied. "This isn't Tamaran."

"Sometimes I think Earth laws are stupid." She replied in a huff.

"I'll go." Cyborg volunteered. "I'll explain to him that he needs to come home."

"And what if he refuses?" Starfire asked.

"He has that right." Raven said glumly.

"HE DOES NOT!" Starfire thundered. He swore his allegiance to me! If he refuses to come home I will order him to return to you! AND HE WILL OBEY HIS EMPRESS!"

Raven shook her head as she placed a hand on Starfire's shoulder.

"I know you mean well Starfire, but that won't help. He has to want to return to me."

"And he does!" A voice called from the far end of the room.

Everyone gasped as they saw the two people they expected the least to be present. Terra and Gar had quietly returned to the Tower on Gar's scooter, had walked up the stairs and entered the room without being noticed. Raven and Terra locked eyes with each other and Terra, now without powers, felt very intimidated by the sorceress. She controlled her fear and elbowed Garfield, who walked up to his wife.

"Raven, I'm … I'm so sorry. Will you forgive me and take me back?"

Raven's only response was to throw her arms around him. After a long minute she released him.

"There's nothing to forgive Gar. You didn't do anything wrong. If anyone's at fault, it's me. I didn't trust you and I drove you away."

"No Rae, you're wrong. I'm the one who didn't trust you, and I should have. I convinced myself that I wasn't good enough for you anymore. Please forgive me."

Raven drew him into a deep and passionate kiss.

Starfire began to gush and grabbing her own husband she began to kiss him as well.

Terra was now standing next to Cyborg.

"Wow, things sure have changed since I lived here. Are they always so lovey dovey?" She asked him.

"Yeah, they are. It really sucks being the lone single guy here."

"I thought you and Bumblebee were an item, at least that's what the tabloids say."

"The tabloids are full of crap Terra. And thanks for bringing him back."

"He's going through a rough patch Cyborg." She said as Raven and Gar continued to kiss. "But I can see that he's in good hands now. He'll be fine."

"And what about you Terra?"

"Me? I have a date this Saturday!" She announced triumphantly.

"Anyone I know?" He asked.

"Probably not, we work together but he just got admitted into the Police Academy."

"You're dating a cop?" Cyborg snickered.

"Hey! Don't knock it! And he's also cute."

"What's his name?"

"Bill, Bill Archer." She replied.

* * *

The unmarked police car made its way down Bay Avenue. It was occupied by two police detectives. The more senior officer, a Lieutenant, watched the traffic around them with a disinterested demeanor. He was a detective of exceptional skill and was believed by many to be an even better detective than Nightwing of the Titans. On more than one occasion he had beaten the masked Titan to solving some tough crimes, earning him accolades and awards in the police department. His crown achievement though was the arrest and capture of Slade Wilson, which he had accomplished without assistance from the Titans, who at the time had been busy engaging the Brotherhood of Evil. Rumors were already circulating that he and his partner, the Sergeant behind the wheel of the Ford sedan were both going to be promoted with much fanfare at city hall in a public ceremony.

The Sergeant smiled as the car made its way to the downtown area. One of the their many duties was to be the department's liaison with the Titans, and that meant meeting and debriefing the Titans after any altercation with criminals, which after all these years was still a common event.

The Titan's hadn't changed much over the years. They never chose a replacement for Beast Boy and had operated as a quartet for many years. Occasionally they would have an honorary Titan or two assist them in a tough spot, but no one was ever invited to become a permanent member of the team. That is until recently as they had added two new official members to the team.

The first new Titan was Mar'i Grayson, crown princess of Tamaran and daughter of former Empress Koriand'r. The Empress's brother, known on Earth as WildFire, had returned to Tamaran and agreed to assume the throne once Galfore became too old to rule. Miss Grayson, whose public hero name was Nightstar as she too kept her identity as a Grayson a secret, had officially become an official Titan when she turned 13 years of age.

The other new member was Mark Logan, the son of Garfield and Raven Logan. Mark inherited all of Ravens powers as well as her gray complexion and violet hair. He had his father's features and unlike his mother his powers were not connected to his emotions. His costume was a loose combination of his father's Doom Patrol costume and his mother's hood and cape. The first time Dr. Light saw him alongside his mother he surrendered without a fight. Mark and Mar'i were notorious for bickering with each other all the time, which wasn't surprising as they had practically grown up together as brother and sister.

The Sergeant's name tag identified the officer as 'T. Archer'. As the Sergeant rounded a corner the Lieutenant asked her to pull the car over in front of a flower shop. He quickly ran into the establishment and soon emerged with a bouquet he had preordered.

"It's your anniversary, right?" She asked him.

"Yeah, it is. You think she'll like these?"

"Well, they are her favorite color, right?"

"They are."

The Sergeant continued driving.

"We're almost there." She announced. "And before I forget, congrats on winning the regional martial arts tournament. Some people are saying you're as good as Nightwing."

The Lieutenant laughed. "That'll be the day. But thanks anyway."

The two detectives pulled up to the crime scene. There were already several squad cars in place, placing their ubiquitous yellow tape around the scene while others were moving the captured criminals, in this case ordinary bank robbers, into the new armored paddy wagons. As the two detectives emerged from their car the Sergeant addressed her partner.

"I can take of the paperwork."

"Thanks Tara." He replied as he retrieved the bouquet from the car. He scanned the crime scene. Cyborg and Nightwing were already filling out the report with the Sergeant. Mar'i and Mark were bickering again while Starfire was trying, in vain, to get them to stop. He finally saw Raven, standing by the bank's entrance talking with a uniformed officer. He approached them with a quick gait.

"I'll take it from here officer."

The officer acknowledged the Lieutenant and thanked Raven for her time.

The Lieutenant handed Raven the bouquet.

"Happy Anniversary Rae."

"Happy Anniversary Gar." She replied as she kissed him.

THE END

* * *

And that's it. I hope this ending wasn't too anticlimactic.

As some of you rightly pointed out, this was supposed to be a RobStar story. I'm afraid I couldn't do it. Sorry.

I'll try to finish my remaining story 'Through a Dark Mirror' and after that I'm out of ideas. Thanks for reading and reviewing, your support was greatly appreciated, especially since I think that this story was mediocre and not one of my better ones. Thanks again.


	35. Author's Note

Congratulations! You made to the end of this story! I know that I tend to write long stories and that not everyone likes or has the patience to read a long story, so I commend you for sticking with this tale to the bitter end.

That said, there must have been something about this story that compelled you to read it from beginning to end. All I ask of you is to leave me a single review. Tell me what you liked or didn't like about the story. Your feedback means a great deal to me, even if it's critical.

Thanks again for reading, and if you liked this story, check out my other ones as well.


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